On October 24, an online conference titled “Protecting Independent Journalism and the Right to Information in Ukraine” was held. Leading experts discussed the current challenges and issues facing Ukrainian media amid the war. Topics included finding effective ways to support the media and to help them to adapt to new realities. The discussion also covered the activities of Reporters Without Borders and the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI).
“For the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, safeguarding journalists and other media professionals is the highest priority. One of our key tasks is to ensure media independence. All of this is an essential part of our country’s information security,” emphasized Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, in a video address to the conference participants.
The Minister called the Law On Media an important step towards Ukraine’s European integration. He shared that the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications has developed a Roadmap for supporting the recovery of a pluralistic, transparent, and independent post-war media space after the end or cancellation of martial law. This roadmap will form the basis for rebuilding the information landscape.
“We believe the resilience demonstrated by the media community is truly unprecedented,” stated Thibaut Bruttin, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders, adding, “We believe that the current media support system is insufficiently funded, but we need to continue fostering this and adopting new approaches. This is why we think RSF and other partners should unite to promote the idea of a fund to support the resilience and recovery of Ukraine’s media landscape during the transition period. One feature of such a fund would be to support and encourage those who wish to join the Journalism Trust Initiative”.
In their speeches, event participants repeatedly emphasized that freedom of speech is an inseparable part of a democratic society and requires ongoing support at all levels, including the international level. The online conference underscored the importance of collaboration among media professionals and support for independent journalism in Ukraine amid global challenges.
As a reminder: the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) is an international standard for news publishers, developed by 130 experts as an ISO standard. It includes widely recognized and agreed-upon criteria for media identity and transparency, as well as professional standards and accountability mechanisms.
