IMI director calls on the international community to support Ukrainian journalists
The director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) Oksana Romaniuk called on the international community to support Ukrainian journalists.
She spoke about this during the event "Media as a Pillar of Democracy: Shaping Ukraine's Future" organized by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) and Reporters Without Borders, and the EU Delegation to Ukraine on June 6.
According to Oksana Romaniuk, Ukrainian media is now "in survival mode" due to the Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, financial difficulties faced by media outlets, employees' mental health deteriorating, etc.
"Our media is now back in survival mode, so it is very important to support the existence of high-quality independent media. You can learn about the high-quality regional media outlets by using the Recommended Media Map, which is produced by the Institute of Mass Information together with Detector Media. IMI also makes the Quality Media List and does everything in our power to help all journalists be visible. Because for us it is first and foremost a visibility tool. To attract the attention not just of the international community, but also of the people who can support the media," Oksana Romaniuk said.
She also noted that IMI's primary tasks as an organization include documenting Russia's crimes, fighting impunity for attacks on journalists, uniting the community and working with the parliament and state bodies so that the media in Ukraine can work without interference.
Participants of the event by IMI and RSF, supported by the EU Delegation in Ukraine, discussed that there should be a critical partnership between the authorities and journalists which cannot be based on hostility, pressure or restriction of freedom of speech. The government should understand that journalists are not its enemies.
The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian non-governmental media organization that has been operating since 1996. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.
The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).
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