About IMI
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization, which has been working in the public sector since 1995 and implementing projects aimed at boosting positive impact of media on establishment of the civil society in Ukraine.
IMI was founded in October of 1995 by a group of Ukrainian and foreign journalists led by Alla Lazareva, who became the organization’s first executive director. On February 20, 1996, IMI received an official registration as an NGO. In different years, IMI was also led by Serhiy Taran, Victoria Siumar, and since 2013, IMI’s executive director has been Oksana Romaniuk.
ІMI is funded from non-governmental foundations and contributions from citizens on the basis of transparency, voluntary involvement, and integrity. ІMI supports no political power, commercial company or governmental institution and acts exclusively in the interests of the civil society of Ukraine and, in particular, responsible journalists.
In December of 1997, the Institute of Mass Information received a prestigious prize of the Advisory Committee on Human Rights under the Prime Minister of the French Republic. The prize was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was the first time that this prize was won by representatives of Ukraine (for the project «Freedom of press in Ukraine»).
In September 2007, IMI became a member of the global network of media organizations IFEX, and as of now, represents Ukraine in this network.
Since 2012, IMI became the co-founder and active participant of the movement «Chesno», and also has been actively participating in the journalist movement «Stop to Censorship».
In 2013, IMI expert Olena Holub and Iryna Chulivska obtained two Gender Equality Awards from the International women’s advocacy center «La Strada» and the Information-Consultative Women’s Center, for the materials on gender balance in mass media and conducting the corresponding monitoring.
Since 2014, IMI has been the Ukrainian partner of the international advocacy organization «Reporters Without Borders».
On December 9, 2015, in Geneva the International Declaration on the Protection of Journalists was published, which was signed from Ukraine by the Institute of Mass Information.
In 2015, IMI representatives Olena Holub and Roman Holovenko joined the Independent Media Council.
In 2015, IMI signed the Memorandum on cooperation with the All-Ukrainian charitable organization “Fulcrum.”
IMI is a member in the public councils of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the issues of freedom of press and information policy, the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting, the Ministry of Information, and the State Archive, as well as works in working groups: under the Presidential administration on issues of protection of freedom of press, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs – on investigation of violations of freedom of press, in the media working group in NGO “Reanimation Reform Package” on developing amendments to the media legislation.
IMI issued more than 30 guidebooks for journalists and public activists covering a wide range of topics – from peculiarities of professional work of journalists to security issues. The guidebooks an be found in a digital form in the section “Guidebooks”.
As of 2017, IMI has amassed a network of regional representatives in all regions of Ukraine, except for the occupied Crimea, and the occupied territories of Donbas.