Aspen Institute Kyiv Holds the Sixth Seminar “Media and Reality: Dimensions of Responsibility”

From 1 to 5 October 2025, Aspen Institute Kyiv held the sixth “Media and Reality: Dimensions of Responsibility” seminar in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region. The seminar was conducted with the support of the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine.

Over the course of five days, journalists, editors, producers, press officers, and representatives of public institutions and civil society explored the role of the media and the challenges it faces in a time of war and rapid technological change. Participants represented different regions of Ukraine and a wide range of media professions.

The seminar focused on several key themes, including:

• freedom of expression, state regulation, and media self-regulation;
• information security and information influence;
• ethical dilemmas faced by journalists during wartime;
• the challenges and opportunities that emerging technologies present for the media.

Discussions were grounded in both classical and contemporary texts, providing a foundation for reflecting on the values and principles that underpin professional practice in the media sector.

The seminar was moderated by Denys Poltavets, Director of Program Development at Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Andrii Kulakov, Community Programme Coordinator and Programme Director at Internews Ukraine. The seminar was coordinated by Olena Fomina, Director of Program Areas at Aspen Institute Kyiv.

Our sincere thanks go to the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine for its partnership, and to Olha Prokopenko, Head of the Programme’s Media Project, for supporting initiatives that contribute to the development of Ukraine’s media sector.