The war should not deprive the citizens of Ukraine of the right to information, the right to know the truth. And this can be done best by free Ukrainian media and brave journalists. Denys Ivanesko, the director of the Ukrainian News agency, is convinced of this. Therefore, support is important for free media in difficult times of war. Thanks to international partners, the media can get it from the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU). Denys Ivanesko tells about participation in the projects of the NUJU and assistance.
«Russia’s aggression put the information agency Ukrainian News on the verge of survival. Our editorial office faced the biggest crisis in all 29 years of its operation. Due to shelling and attacks, our workers left their homes. A part went to the ranks of the Ukrainian Army and Territorial Defense Forces. Some moved abroad or to safer western regions of Ukraine. Lack of funds forced the abandonment of the newsroom, office, and the agency’s press center in Kyiv. We were forced to lay off two-thirds of the employees, and to significantly reduce the wages of the rest.
One of our employees became a defender of his native town of Irpin in the Kyiv Region in the most difficult days for the town. After its release, the mayor presented him with an award “for the protection of the town,” and later, President Zelenskyy awarded him with the Order for Courage of the III degree. Now, he is a colleague defending Ukraine near Bakhmut, where he was recently wounded.
Even before the war, it was difficult for the editors, as the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus, the economic crisis, the pressure of new media sources – social networks and messengers, which changed the way of consuming information. Since February, we have been deprived of the opportunity to earn. Therefore, we started collecting donations and help. Now, we are talking about the possibility of preserving one of the oldest news agencies of Ukraine, at least in some form, in order to see the victory of Ukraine and write about it to our subscribers both in Ukraine and abroad.
Despite everything, we kept the most valuable people, the core of our agency, the news feed, and the mechanism of news delivery to subscribers through the agency’s channels. Thanks to the timely transfer of our wire to foreign servers, we ensured uninterrupted operation of the website and daily production of more than 100 news in three languages.
Ukrainian News is deeply grateful to the NUJU, the Ukrainian Media Fund, and the Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation for their help and the opportunity to participate in the creative projects We are from Ukraine! and Journalists are Important! This is really important for us. The help increases our chances of surviving a crisis and adds optimism and confidence.
The war should not deprive the citizens of Ukraine of the right to information, the right to know the truth. And the best way it can be done in is the existence of free Ukrainian media and brave journalists».
