#speakup barometer

High digital participation despite media companies struggling with innovation

Digital participation in Ukraine is high. Ukrainians are eager to engage in political debate via social media. But as Russia continues its informational warfare campaign, the quality of public discourse is deteriorating.

Digital Participation Matters

The #speakup barometer is a DW Akademie project that examines the connection between digital participation, freedom of expression and access to information in five thematic areas: Access, Digital Rights, Media and Journalism, Innovation and Society.

DWA #speakup barometer Ukraine Media and Journalism

DWA #speakup barometer Ukraine Download Report

DWA DW Akademie speakup barometer Ukraine Barometer

People using digital media

A professor uses the Internet to stay in touch

For Viktoriia Pogrebna, a journalism professor, the internet has become a vital part of her work and her spare time.

A student worries about misinformation online

A former factory worker finds new work online

DW Akademie in Ukraine

Supporting a diverse media landscape in Ukraine

DW Akademie in Ukraine supports citizens as well as media practitioners to ensure a media landscape based on unbiased, factual information and innovative thinking.

Kyryl Savin, Ländermanager Ukraine der DW Akademie

Digitalization is advanced in Ukraine, but the ongoing conflict with Russia has had a negative impact on digital participation.

In Ukraine, digital media and social networks have become ubiquitous, but informational warfare with Russia harms digital participation.

DWA DW Akademie speakup barometer Ukraine Spinnengrafik

Visualizing Ukraine's overall results

See the detailed results for all of our five clusters visualized in one chart: Access, Digital Rights, Media and Journalism, Society, and Innovation. Please click to enlarge the image.

Digital Participation in Ukraine: High

With a vibrant IT sector and some of the cheapest Internet access in the world, Ukraine offers a solid foundation for digital participation. The country’s active civil society has started many initiatives fostering participation online. At the same time, it has been successful in preventing legislation that would have jeopardized digital rights. However, while there are impressive exceptions to the rule, Ukrainian media outlets are often too weak financially to collaborate with the country’s IT sector for the sake of their own innovation. Moreover, public debate in Ukraine’s highly politicized society remains vulnerable in light of Russia’s informational warfare against the country.

Digital experts from Ukraine

Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Maria Fronoschuk, CEO and co-founder of Platfor.ma

Maria Fronoschuk is CEO of Platfor.ma, a storytelling lab and media outlet serving the creative community. Founded in 2010, Platfor.ma hit the break-even point without external investor support. Fronoschuk focuses on media management, monetization, storytelling and collaborations with international organizations, brands, and NGOs. She studied marketing at Kyiv Mohyla Business School, Ukraine.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Vitalii Moroz, Head of New Media, Internews Ukraine

Vitalii Moroz is the Head of New Media at Internews Ukraine, a leading media NGO. Previously, he worked as a program manager at Freedom House (Kyiv office), where he managed election monitoring, voter education and watchdog programs. He oversees programs for promoting digital security (https://dss380.org), fact checking (Verify.org.ua), internet freedom and digital rights (netfreedom.org.ua).
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Maksym Dvorovyi, lawyer, Digital Security Lab

Maksym Dvorovyi works as the parliamentary assistant and as a lawyer at Digital Security Lab, an NGO promoting digital rights in Ukraine. Previously, he worked at CEDEM, a Ukrainian NGO, on broadcast regulation, digital rights, the creation of the public service broadcaster, and co-regulation mechanisms in the media, as well as coordinated the activities of the Independent Media Council.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Iryna Solovey, head of Garage Gang

Iryna Solovey is the head of Garage Gang, a civil society organization that fosters social innovation and development. It created Spilnokosht, the first and biggest online crowdfunding mechanism in Ukraine. Garage Gang believes in local first, then the city, then global, and that a new social environment must be built by the efforts and ideas, perceptions, and feelings of young professionals.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Maksym Tulyev, Internet Association of Ukraine

Maksym Tulyev is director of NetAssist, a company founded in 2004 that provides Internet services in Kyiv. In 2016, he joined the board of the Internet Association of Ukraine, a lobby organization.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Roman Danilenkov, co-founder and financial director, Nakipelo.ua

Roman Danilenkov is the co-founder and CFO of Nakipelo, a local media outlet in Kharkiv determined to give a voice to all parts of civil society. Nakipelo was founded in 2014 by a group of activists dedicated to democracy, freedom and the pro-Western orientation of Ukraine. Today, Nakipelo is a multi-level media platform that aims to make a difference in the informational space of Eastern Ukraine.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Vita Volodovska, senior legal counsel, Digital Security Lab

Vita Volodovska is a senior legal counsel at Digital Security Lab Ukraine, an NGO advocating for digital rights and digital security. She is an expert with the FreeNet Ukraine Coalition, as well as a member of the Independent Media Council, a permanent body that provides expert opinions on disputed media cases and develops recommendations for stakeholders to improve their regulatory approaches.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Olga Yurkova, co-founder of StopFake.org

Olga Yurkova is a journalist and co-founder of StopFake.org, an independent Ukrainian organization that trains fact checkers in an effort to curb propaganda and misinformation in the media. She is an expert on propaganda and identifying fake news and consults a range of organizations. For her fight against propaganda, Yurkova was included in the New Europe 100 and named a TED Fellow in 2018.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Mykhailo Koltsov, analyst, StopFake.org

Mykhailo Koltsov works as a freelancer in data-driven journalism and visualization. He is also a senior lecturer at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and develops training programs for journalists and government agencies.
Leading the way: Ukraine’s digital experts

Tetyana Lebedyeva, supervisory board member National Public Broadcasting Company (UA:PBC) and of Ukraine’s national TV and radio broadcasting council

As the honorary chairwoman of the Independent Association of Broadcasters, Tetyana Lebedyeva works to improve the implementation of professional standards, transparent regulations and self-regulation in the media sector. She is a member of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) supervisory board as well as a member of Ukraine’s national TV and radio broadcasting council.

Author: Erik Albrecht