On 13 February 2025, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine held an online conference “Ukrainian Media during the War: Challenges, Experience, Future” to discuss the impact of the war on the media environment.
The main topics of the event included:
Andriy Kovalenko, Executive Director of the Academy of Ukrainian Press, spoke at the section “Stories that change the world: how journalists shape global opinion on the Russian-Ukrainian war”. He emphasised the importance of journalism as a tool for fighting for the truth and its impact on world politics.
“Truth is also a weapon, and today we must protect it as well. If we don't show the crimes of the russians and tell the world about them, it means that they never happened. Russian propaganda instantly fills the news space, distorts reality and creates fake versions of events. It is journalists who set the agenda, and their reports can influence the decisions of world leaders. We don't carry weapons, but we fight on our own front, risking our lives for the sake of the truth. During the war in Ukraine, dozens of journalists, both Ukrainian and foreign, have been killed. They tell stories that force the international community to act. If there were no footage from Bucha, Irpen, Izium or the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, the world would probably still have doubts about what is really happening. The truth cannot wait, because if we don't show it, the enemy will do it for us and twist everything in their own way,” - Kovalenko said.
The conference emphasised the role of Ukrainian journalists in revealing the truth about the war and the importance of their work in shaping the international information agenda.
