Oksana Romaniuk: IMI's Mediabazas are invincibility points for journalists amidst the energy crisis

Illustration by the IMI

Providing journalists with the necessary energy equipment and helping the media overcome the future energy crisis is one of the most urgent tasks of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) for the near future, said the IMI director Oksana Romaniuk during the National Media Talk 2024 in Kyiv.

"We have several hundred applications for energy equipment from regional media outlets. As the UN mission found, 4 to 18 hours of blackouts per day are expected this winter. We probably cannot do without generators. We are in talks with the donors on this subject, because gasoline is very expensive," said Oksana Romaniuk.

She also said that the IMI hub network "Mediabaza" plays an important role in supporting regional media, as it has everything journalists need to work during blackouts.

"Today we have 13 Mediabazas in different cities in Ukraine. Since 2022, when they opened, journalists have been using our hubs to work during blackouts. The Mediabazas are points of 'journalistic invincibility' that have electricity and the Internet. We also provide journalists with the equipment they need (body armor, helmets, first-aid kits, power banks, etc. – Ed.). There is an event taking place at a Mediabaza every three days: either networking or training," said Oksana Romaniuk.

How to visit a Mediabaza

In November 2022 to August 2024, media professionals used the services of the IMI Mediabazas 8,519 times:

• media professionals attended training classes and networking events at Mediabazas 5,376 times;
• a total of 362 events were organized by the IMI Mediabazas;
• employees of Ukrainian and foreign media used coworking services (to work, charge their equipment, take interviews, record podcasts, etc.) 2,703 times;
• 440 times, media professionals were provided with safety gear or technical equipment (body armor, helmets, first-aid kits, power banks, laptops, communication devices, etc.).

There are Mediabazas in 13 oblasts of Ukraine. To use their services, you need to text the coordinator on Facebook or the Facebook page of the Mediabaza in your region:

• Slovyansk – Valeriy Harmash;
• Chernivtsі – Taisiya Harmash;
• Zhytomyr – Oksana Trokoz;
• Chernihiv – Pavlo Pushchenko;
• Kharkiv – Olha Kaplun;
• Poltava – Nadiya Kucher;
• Dniprо – Kateryna Lysiuk;
• Zaporizhzhia – Natalia Vyhovska;
• Kropyvnytskyi – Pavlo Lisnychenko;
• Mykolaiv – Kateryna Sereda;
• Kherson – Serhiy Nikitenko;
• Odesa – Serhiy Nikitenko;
• Sumy – Alyona Yatsyna.

Please note that:

• in Kherson, the Mediabaza only issues equipment;
• in Slovyansk, you can use the Mediabaza equipment to film and broadcast video and audio materials;
• in Chernivtsi, you can record podcasts at the Mediabaza.

If necessary, you can call the national Mediabaza coordinator Pavlo Lisnychenko at 050 594 20 58 or write an email to [email protected].

Media professionals who need bulletproof vests, helmets, first-aid kits, power banks or other equipment can contact the coordinator of the Mediabaza in their region or fill out the Google form.