G7 Ambassadors meet Ukrainian journalists to discuss Ukraine's media landscape

Group of Seven (G7) Ambassadors met with Ukrainian journalists on December 2 to discuss the current media landscape in Ukraine, the G7 Ambassadors Support Group in Ukraine reports on X.

“G7 Ambs had a valuable exchange with Ukrainian independent journalists on the current media landscape. Press freedom and pluralism are crucial for strengthening democracy, supporting political debate, and advancing Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic path,” the post says.

The meeting was attended by Ukrainian Pravda CEO Andriy Boborykin, NV chief editor Vitaliy Sych, Detector Media chief editor Natalia Lyhachova, The Kyiv Independent chief editor Olha Rudenko, Suspilne Broadcasting board chair Mykola Chernotytskyi, Nashi Hroshi co-founder and editor Yuriy Nikolov, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kyiv bureau director Natalia Sedletska, and Slidstvo.Info journalist Yevheniy Shulhat.

Photo by x.com / G7AmbReformUA

Natalia Lyhachova told Detector Media in a comment that the meeting discussed the balance between national security and pluralism in the media.

She said that the journalists spoke about the current situation in the Ukrainian media and society.

“Many things have changed both in the world and in Ukraine since the last similar meeting in January 2024. The meeting discussed the balance between national security and pluralism in the media. It touched on the situation with the public broadcaster, with lawsuits against people who attack journalists and with the progress in those cases, with the harassment of journalists, primarily investigators,” she said.

Lyhachova added that they also brought up the journalists detained by Russia and death threats to Ukrainian journalists, which come from Russia increasingly frequently.

“Ukrainian journalists thanked Western partners for the comprehensive support of their efforts to bring Ukraine closer to democratic standards of freedom of speech even in wartime,” said Natalia Lyhachova.

On January 29, 2024, G7 Ambassadors met with Ukrainian journalists, where the Ukrainian media community has complained about systematic pressure after a series of discrediting campaigns against independent journalists, often supported by anonymous pro-government Telegram channels.

On January 17, the Media Movement reported systematic pressure on independent journalists and investigators and urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to resolutely condemn this campaign and ensure that incidents of intimidation are investigated as crimes against media professionals. Namely, the Media Movement mentioned the attacks on "Nashi Hroshi" journalist Yuriy Nikolov, on Bihus.Info, and, previously, on Detector Media, "Ukrainian Pravda", NV, “Censor", "Babel", 'Liga.net", "Espreso".