Ukrainian Journalists Connect at IWPR Event

IWPR’s core group of Ukrainian reporters learnt key war crimes reporting skills, tactical medicine and tools for self-care during a two-day retreat in the western town of Truskavets.

Participants welcomed the opportunity to meet other journalists from across the country while learning valuable skills to support their reporting on the conflict as well as on justice processes.

“It was very interesting, I made many contacts and possibilities for future work,” said Olga Zhuravel, a contributor from Dnepropetrovsk. “It was very important to meet. We all have different strengths, skills and knowledge and cover different topics, but we are all on the same side in this conflict and together we can make some change.”

After an introduction from IWPR executive director Anthony Borden and an overview of the Ukraine Voices project, supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development department, 30 participants joined a session focusing on war crimes reporting. 

Media lawyer Uliana Fischuk explained how to cover war crimes using the correct terminology without using hate speech or prejudicial language.

Olga Guzhva, IWPR programme manager, said that this need had been identified due to the growing importance of reporting on war crimes and the previous lack of capacity among the media community.

“Ukrainian journalists had just a very general knowledge of the issue and faced some problems reporting according to international humanitarian law,” Guzhva explained. “They need to learn vocabulary and exact definitions to avoid inadvertently using inaccurate information or even hate speech.”

Roman Lichuk, a psychiatrist with more than 20 years experience of treating PTSD, stress and trauma, gave his insights into how to cover distressing situations and techniques to interview eye witnesses without re-traumatising them.

He also passed on specific techniques for self-care for reporters working both on and away from the frontline.

Yehor Brailian, a journalist from Poltava, said that this had been the most valuable element for him.  “It was important to hear the psychiatrist explain about mental health and why this matters for our daily work,” he said. “If we want to be productive, we have to take care of our mental health.”

Andreiy Telezhnyi, a trained surgeon from Kharkhiv, held a series of trainings with a team of five active paramedics on tactical medicine and first aid, including hands-on practical exercises, and IWPR programme manager Guzhva held a session on risk management and mitigation in which participants learned how to prepare for frontline work and the importance of teamwork. This included the specifics of liaising with the military and how to work in different parts of Ukraine, including in the so-called grey zone and in liberated territory.

IWPR managing editor Daniella Peled held a training session on writing for the international media, focusing on techniques to engage the attention of an audience whose interest in the conflict may be waning. 

“I have a lot of experience as a reporter but not much with working with the foreign media, so it’s really very interesting – a new experience and an opportunity for professional growth,” said Tatiana Dotsak, a journalist from Kharkhiv. “I’ve never had this level of feedback from editors before that I have from IWPR.”

She said she also appreciated the setting of the retreat, in the quiet resort town of Truskavets, which gave participants the chance to relax and connect with each other away from the conflict.

“It’s hard to do our jobs and at the same time live our ordinary lives with families to look after,” she said. “We aren’t just journalists, we also live here, in Ukraine.”