Kyiv hosted National Media Talk 2024 – a conference of media professionals from across the country who engaged in discussions about freedom of speech, transformations in the media market, and the challenges journalists face during the war. The event was organised by Internews, USAID, and the National Media Association. You can find materials about this year’s NMT discussions here and here. The speech of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, Vadym Prystaiko, at the NMT can be found here, and the blog of the deputy editor-in-chief of Detector Media, Halyna Petrenko, about the political part of NMT – here.
One of the discussion panels was dedicated to preserving high-quality free media under martial law in Ukraine and the need for journalists to adhere to restrictions related to national security.
The following individuals participated in the panel titled “Media in Wartime: Guardians of Democracy and European Choice”:
- EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová.
- Ambassador of Sweden to Ukraine Martin Oberg.
- Chair of the Supervisory Board of Suspilne, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Detector Media Svitlana Ostapa.
- Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturayev.
EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernová, stated that Ukrainian media demonstrate resilience, courage, and professionalism during these challenging times. She reminded the audience that since the onset of Russia’s war against Ukraine, 14 Ukrainian journalists have been killed in the line of duty, and a total of 94 media workers have lost their lives in Ukraine during this period.
Moreover, the media in Ukraine are suffering from the collapse of their traditional business model due to the decline of the advertising market, increased competition from social networks (which are exempt from adhering to journalistic standards and are capturing the audience), and other difficulties. Thus, Ukrainian media are facing very tough times. Working as a journalist in Ukraine today is far from easy, says Mathernová.
This makes Ukraine’s progress in the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders even more significant, says Mathernová. In just one year, Ukraine rose by 18 positions in the index – from 79th in 2022 to 61st in 2023. “This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t discuss the restrictions imposed on media and journalists by martial law. We should, as well as ensure these restrictions don’t exceed reasonable limits. However, even with all this, there is pluralism in the Ukrainian media. And this is incredible! Therefore, I commend Ukrainian journalists for what they are doing in these extremely difficult conditions,” said the EU Ambassador to Ukraine.