Over 480 author’s works have appeared in print media or on the air of local and national media, which joined the content project of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) entitled We Are From Ukraine! The project initiated by the NUJU is dedicated to strong-spirited Ukrainians who help their compatriots during the war.
The materials cover the stories of volunteers helping military and civilians; medics who saved people under fire; drivers who risked taking entire families out of the occupied territories; ordinary town and village residents who find the strength to support others; about children who use their talents to raise money for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These and other publications have been prepared by journalists-participants of the project in six months. In total, over 40 media organizations joined the project. The number included seven national, 10 regional, and 23 local media companies. Among the participants are three television companies: Tak TV (Mykolayiv), RAI (Ivano-Frankivsk) and A.S.S. [A.C.C.] (Chernivtsi). And the radio station participants were Radio na Dotyk (Zaporizhzhia) and On the Waves of Korsun (Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi).
Some of the published materials were distributed on the information resources of the NUJU. In particular, 100 stories about amazing Ukrainians have been posted on the Union’s website. Also, from the digest of the publications of the project participants, a newspaper edition of the NUJU We are from Ukraine! has been printed. It was distributed primarily in the de-occupied territories or regions close to the regions under hostilities.
Media that actively joined the project were recommended by the Union to international partners (Ukrainian Media Fund), who provided financial assistance to the editorial offices.
The project We are from Ukraine! by the National Union and international partners has become a very important support for Ukrainian media for several reasons, says Lesia Gasych, a deputy editor-in-chief of the Obozrevatel publication.
“The first reason is that the stories printed tell the world about the war in Ukraine firsthand. The characters of the stories are ordinary people who defended their land alongside the military. Ordinary Ukrainians, whose lives and professions changed overnight. Someone started volunteering and helping people who were in dire need of food and warm things. Someone helped in the occupation, they helped the military under the threat of being exposed. The second important reason is that it is one of the first projects at the beginning of the war, which helped the editorial offices, in particular, financially. In general, the project We are from Ukraine! showed the courage, unity, and will of our people to the world through the publications,” Lesia Gasych notes.
We are from Ukraine! is a project that mobilized editors. Andrii Bolkun, the head of the Leopolis information portal, is convinced of this. Financial support from international partners became helpful in a period of complete lack of advertising.
“In addition, it made it possible to really show readers incredible people who have found the strength and courage to self-discipline, take control of themselves in a new place and create something new, help people. And their activity became an example for others. And publicity in the mass media often draws attention to them, helps to find new clients or partners,” comments Andrii Bolkun.
The project We are from Ukraine! has been implemented by the NUJU in cooperation with the Ukrainian Media Fund initiative launched by the Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation together with partner organizations of media companies in the Scandinavian countries.
According to Thomas Mattsson, the senior adviser to the Swedish Bonnier News company, which is one of the founders of the Ukrainian Media Fund initiative, the company is firmly committed to freedom of the press, and therefore considers it necessary to support Ukrainian journalists. The company plans long-term media support in Ukraine.
“Not only does it provide for financial assistance, but also assistance with equipment, know-how, and partnerships, so that a sustainable and probably more consolidated newspaper market could be created. I hope that during the crisis, the audience in Ukraine turns to independent media that work according to professional standards. My thoughts are with Ukrainian journalists who provide independent news even though their country is under attack,” says Thomas Mattsson.
“Help and support of journalists and editorial offices in times of war is a priority of our organization. We cooperate with international partners so that even more colleagues can join one or another creative project, in particular, those that inspire both the journalists themselves and their audience. After all, as the project participants say, the materials received a lot of positive reviews, helped to find new readers and viewers,” says Sergiy Tomilenko, the president of the NUJU.
