Mass media plays a key role in advancing democracy, rule of law, and civil society in Ukraine. Both Ukrainian and foreign media are undergoing a change; new challenges emerge for journalists as to the most efficient ways to deliver information on public authorities and politicians, in particular, at the local level.
In light of the importance of efficient and professional media coverage for open democratic governance, PLEDDG Project held a series of trainings for journalists from PLEDDG partner cities, which enabled them to identify and apply the most effective methods of political coverage.
On July 16-17th, such training was held in Poltava for local journalists. During two intense days, participants discussed how to communicate with local government officials and how to create a reputation for being an efficient journalist by means of both traditional and modern means of press coverage with the use of various technologies and platforms, what the key ethical problems of Ukrainian journalism were, how to deliver high quality news, how to cover corruption and delicate issues, how to carry out investigative reporting. The practical lessons offered to the participants included verification for reliability of information and identifying fake news in video materials, photos, and on social media accounts.
PLEDDG Project engaged seasoned international and Ukrainian journalists and experts to conduct the training, namely Olena Churanova from the Institute of Mass Information, Maksym Skubenko from VOX Ukraine, Kateryna Kapliuk, a journalist of “Schemes” TV programme, as well as Simon Ostrovsky, a world-renowned investigative reporter and editor, recipient of Emmy Award for his work with VICE News and a series of reports on the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
