Two journalists from Ukraine

Konstantin Medyanik is from the north-eastern city of Kharkiv and writes for the news agency, Aktualna Prawda. Freelance journalist Zair Akadyrov, from the Crimean capital Simferopol, works for various print and online media outlets. While attending a recent DW Akademie election reporting workshop in Kiev ahead of the May presidential elections, they talked about the deteriorating working conditions for journalists.

Konstantin Medyanik from Kharkiv

What is the current media situation in Ukraine?
Konstantin Medyanik: It was originally assumed that Viktor Yanukovych and other top officials would take control of all major media outlets in 2015. But that changed with the Maidan protests. There's now a call for balanced reporting and a non-corrupt media sector. Despite Russian propaganda, Ukrainian journalists have been trying to report more objectively on events happening in the Maidan. Still, mass media can only be independent if they have financial independence, and most do not. In my home town of Kharkiv, journalists are badly paid. Advertising revenue is limited and oligarchs own the mass media outlets. Online media needs greater investment so that they can develop into important sources of regional information.

Zair Akadyrow from Simferopol

Zair Akadyrov: I don't believe the recent developments are having a positive impact on the media. The major media organizations have vested interests which influence how they cover events. Because of this, good journalists are scarce. Over the past few months, the conditions for independent media in the Crimea have deteriorated even more: Ukrainian TV stations have been taken off air and replaced by Russian stations. The local newsrooms of the popular national newspapers, Komsomolskaja Prawda and Vesti have also been shut down. Currently, only a few Internet platforms are providing Crimeans with balanced coverage.

What are the major challenges facing journalists right now?
Medyanik: It's safety - journalists are being attacked on a daily basis by various groups. In the Donetsk region, some journalists were even taken hostage.
Akadyrov: It's become much more dangerous for journalists in the last few months, especially in eastern Ukraine. And journalists have no guarantee of keeping their jobs; you receive your wages in an envelope and can be let go at a moment's notice.

Participants of DW Akademie's workshop on election reporting in Kiev

What did you gain from the workshop on election reporting?
Medyanik: I learned a lot about data journalism - how to create infographics, for example. That's very useful when you're reporting on elections.
Akadyrov: Talking with the trainers definitely helped me because they were able to answer many of my questions. It was also interesting to learn how the experiences of the European media, and the approaches they use, could apply to Ukraine.

The workshop brought together journalists from all over Ukraine. What could you learn from each other?
Medyanik: I learned more about the situation my colleagues are facing in their various regions and I also established new contacts.
Akadyrov: I enjoyed the exchanges because that gave me first-hand information on regional developments. Exchanges like this are important in our profession.


Medyanik and Akadyrov both took part in DW Akademie's five-day workshop on election reporting held in Kiev. During the workshop, twenty-eight journalists from throughout Ukraine were trained on critical, balanced reporting ahead of Ukraine's presidential elections, which were held on 25 May, 2014.