The Institute of Mass Information’s regional hub Mediabaza Odesa / Kherson hosted a meeting on 13 June focusing on challenges faced by fixers in wartime. The issues discussed included the drop in the number of fixers, the nuances of working with international media, and the differences between reporting and being a fixer.
The meeting was chaired by journalist, local producer, and fixer Artem Perfilov. He said that fixers remained an important link between international journalists and Ukrainian institutions today, but the job itself still lacked a clear definition and proper representation.
“Four and a half years into the big war, fixers remain almost the only link between the international press and Ukraine’s state institutions. However, we still do not even have an identity: there is no definition anywhere of who a fixer or a local producer is, what responsibilities the job includes, and how it should function,” said Artem Perfilov.
Among other things, the conversation focused on the gradual drop in international news outlets’ interest in covering Ukraine news. The participants stressed that this is due not only to the more recent armed conflicts erupting across in the world, but also to the difficulties of communication between international journalists and Ukrainian institutions.
“Yes, there are many other conflicts in the world, and this is an objective reason why journalists have been coming to Ukraine less often. But another problem is that the state does not always have the will, ability, or opportunity to communicate with international media. As a result, many communication-related issues effectively fall on the fixers,” Perfilov said.
The participants also discussed the differences between reporting and being a fixer, such as fixers often being responsible for organising the filming sessions, arranging the logistics, searching for subjects, establishing contacts and providing safety support to international teams.
Creating a professional fixer association was also brought up. Artem Perfilov said that the active fixer community in Ukraine today amounts to approximately 100 to 150 people, so establishing a formal or informal professional association could help in resolving shared problems.
“We need a platform to solve internal issues – from insurance and security to communication with the state. It is also important to work on attracting new journalists to Ukraine so that our country remains in the focus of international media,” concluded Artem Perfilov.
The meeting was a space for specialists from Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kherson to share experience and discuss tools for supporting and building the fixer community in Ukraine.
Dana Hrynko, Mediabaza Odesa / Kherson SMM
