Freedom of speech, journalistic dilemmas, and communications about war: the Aspen Institute Kyiv held a seminar for media specialists

From May 29 to June 2, 2024, the Aspen Institute Kyiv held the fourth seminar, “Media and reality: measures of responsibility,” in the Zakarpattia region. The OSCE projects in Ukraine supported the organization of the seminar.

Based on classical and contemporary texts, journalists, editors, media experts, lecturers, press secretaries, representatives of state institutions, and the public sector discussed various aspects and challenges of modern media functioning.

Marcel Pesko, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship — Project Coordinator in Ukraine, Bettina Ruigis, Senior Adviser, Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and Denіs Poltavets, Director of Program Development at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, gave welcoming addresses. The seminar’s main topics were freedom of speech, media regulation and self-regulation, information security, ethical dilemmas faced by journalists during wartime, and the challenges encountered by the media community in times of rapid technological advancement.

As part of the seminar, participants participated in the dialogue session “Ukrainian Media on the Path to Euro-integration: Challenges and Prospects”. The speakers were:

• Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine for European Integration.
• Bettina Ruigis, Senior Adviser, Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media 
• Andriy Kulikov, Head of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics, journalism, TV and radio host, and co-founder of Hromadske Radio.
• Toma Istomina, Deputy Chief Editor and co-founder of The Kyiv Independent.

Pierre Boisson, Ukraine’s OSCE Support Programme manager, moderated the discussion. During the session, speakers and seminar participants discussed aspects of Ukrainian practices and experiences in media freedom that could become valuable contributions to EU countries, representing Ukraine’s contribution as a new member of the Union. Among these contributions, participants highlighted the experience of countering disinformation and propaganda, the resilience of Ukrainian journalists and editorial offices in various aspects – from security issues to overcoming threats of censorship and undue pressure, experience in investigating war crimes, self-regulation practices at different levels, and maintaining proper professional standards under severe ethical challenges.

Denіs Poltavets, Director of Program Development at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, and Andriy Kulakov, Program Coordinator of the Aspen Institute Kyiv Community, moderated the seminar. 

Olena Fomina, Policy Program Director at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, coordinated the event.

We sincerely thank the OSCE projects in Ukraine for their partnership.

The next seminar, “Media and Reality: Dimensions of Responsibility,” is scheduled for November 2024.