UNESCO continues providing financial support to Ukrainian journalists

Their stories bear testament to the persisting need of assistance in a struggling media landscape.

Svitlana Karpenko, Director and editor-in-chief of Trudova Slava, a newspaper from Orikhiv, Zaporizhia region

"As we work under constant war-related challenges the main goal was to secure our ability to cover important local and regional events, inform our readers, and maintain community ties during this difficult time.

We used the received funds for technical upgrades, which allowed us to improve the quality of our materials and the efficiency of our work. In particular, we bought a smartphone to make videos. For a couple of months our journalists have mastered the techniques of mobile journalism. So, a new smartphone has already become a key tool to create multimedia content, including reports and video stories about the lives of people in front-line areas."

Nataliia Kalinichenko, Editor-in-chief of Bilopilshchyna, a newspaper from Bilopillia, Sumy region 

"Since the spring of 2024, our community, which is located 7 kilometers from the border, has been constantly suffering from shelling and bombing. The center of Bilopillia, its private homes, state institutions, and enterprises suffered especially badly. In May, an evacuation from the city and the five-kilometer zone around it was declared. Two-thirds of the residents left. Despite this, our media continues to work in such conditions.

We used the received funds to continue printing the newspaper in November and December 2024, and to deliver it to readers and subscribers, to travel to the places of shelling and make interviews with the victims, to constantly meet and work with foreign colleagues, provide them with information, and accompany them during their work in the community.

In addition, we organized the evacuation of the editorial archive that contains newspapers from 1947".

Andrii Andriev*, freelance cameraman

"The financial assistance enabled me to acquire some essential equipment for professional photography, provide logistical support for my work as a photographer, and process and prepare materials. Thanks to this, we were able to create an archive that will, in the future, become a foundation for journalistic investigations, exhibitions, and printed publications.

We also directed your support toward making materials for local and international events dedicated to raising awareness about the situation in our country. This helps draw the attention of the global community, which is critically important for sustaining support for our country in its fight for freedom and independence."

*Name has been changed for safety reasons

Iryna Martynova, Anti-Crisis Media Center, Druzhkivka, Donetsk region 

"Before I saw the announcement of the emergency grant program, I already had the idea of creating a podcast. However, it was difficult to do without financial support, because the podcast required additional costs, in particular, sound design, which I cannot do myself.

 I wanted to dedicate my podcast to those who remain or return to the Donetsk region and support the local population there, as well as displaced people. 

So, when I saw the opportunity to receive an emergency grant, I decided to try and was very happy when I received a positive result. Thanks to the support, the podcast “Essays about Donetsk Region” appeared, which I continue to work on now."

Pavlo Solodovnyk, journalist and editor of CheLine, Chernihiv

"This assistance was incredibly significant and timely for our editorial team. Our office was destroyed by a missile strike in 2023, along with almost all the equipment and furniture. 

Currently, we are renting a new space and covering the rent and utility bills on our own, while also gradually addressing critical gaps caused by the lack of equipment.

Thanks to the grant, we purchased specialized microphones, a studio recording microphone, and power banks.

We are truly thankful for this support. Together, we will persevere!"

About the project

This assistance was made possible thanks to the generous support from Japan. UNESCO is committed to continuing to support the safety of Ukrainian and international journalists and media workers inside Ukraine so that they can provide factual, conflict-sensitive, and verified information of public interest to the population, with editorial independence.

Thanks to a cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), a first round of 160 grants was coordinated with the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union for Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) in 2022 and was followed by a second round of 200 grants in 2023, coordinated with Lviv Media Forum.

At the end of 2024, an additional 200 journalists have received UNESCO grants to continue working despite challenging conditions and a lack of resources.  The process was conducted in partnership with the Regional Press Development Institute (RPDI).

The selection criteria ensured gender balance and territorial representation while giving priority to journalists – and especially local media and freelancers - that continue to work in front-line regions or were forced to relocate, and those that have not previously received grants under the initiative.

Among the 200 selected applicants, 66 were men and 134 were women. These journalists work in all regions of Ukraine, with the highest numbers coming from Kyiv region, followed by Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. The majority work primarily for online media, while 15% work for print media, 14% for television, and 14% for other types of media.