IMI’s Mediabaza Kharkiv hosted a meeting between journalists and officials on 18 June. The meeting focused on recent communication issues; the participants agreed to draft a set of recommendations for interactions between the media and officials, establish a mechanism for quick contact sharing, and hold a second meeting, reports Yulia Napolska, the Institute of Mass Information’s regional representative who was present at the meeting.
During the discussion, media professionals shared their experiences working on Russian strike sites, the obstruction of reporting some of them have faced, issues with access to information, and interaction with officials and representatives of various state services.
The participants also focused on finding solutions that could help improve cooperation between journalists and government agencies, as well as ensure proper conditions for the media to cover emergencies.
The first part of the meeting involved media professionals discussing the issues among themselves. They identified key problems that needed to be brought up with government officials.
The second part of the event was joined by the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration’s chief of strategic communications, Iryna Shcherbakova, and the Kharkiv Oblast Police’s chief of prevention, Serhiy Birbasov.
Kharkiv City Council officials did not participate in the meeting, citing tight schedules.
The participants agreed on the following further steps:
- The IMI representative will draft a set of recommendations for interactions between journalists and government officials, taking the suggestions and comments expressed during the meeting into account.
- To improve communication between Kharkiv journalists, a contact list of authorised persons who can be reached if issues arise has been created.
- The participants plan to hold a second meeting to assess progress in resolving the issues raised.
As reported earlier, journalists with Nakypilo and Gwara Media faced obstruction at least least three times while covering the aftermath of three Russian strikes in the city on 14–15 June.
