Problem of Ukraine’s displaced is not just their problem but ours
Regional journalists have an important job in speaking up for those who have been internally displaced in the east of Ukraine.
Two years into the internally displaced persons (IDP) crisis, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being displaced, reports on human stories has fallen in number but the quality of reporting from media outlets seems is on the up.
These are the initial findings of a regional media monitoring presentation delivered in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The Association Spilnyi Prostir and MEMO 98, supported by the European Union, presented results of the fourth monitoring period, which focused on the coverage of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the local media. The monitoring is a part of the Regional Voices project implemented by a media consortium led by the Thomson Foundation.
“With all the problems facing Ukraine, it might be tempting to forget about the issues facing IDPs, but it should not be forgotten that IDPs are citizens of Ukraine too and, as such, they have the same rights, freedoms and obligations as all other Ukrainians”, said Helga Pender, the European Union Programme Manager, Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace. “In this sense, it is in the public interest for media to continue to report on this issue.”
The monitoring took place on 10–23 October, with a sample that consists of a total of 204 monitored media (51 TV channels, 65 print media, and 88 online media outlets) in 24 regions of Ukraine divided into four parts (North/Centre, South, East, West).
Four regional reports and a comparative analysis of this period as well as from three previous ones from October last year, February and June are available here.
“In comparison with the third monitoring period, regional media coverage of IDPs decreased. Yet, we have seen an increase of better quality stories on IDP-related issues as well as materials that provided useful information to IDPs on social benefits,” said Lesya Yaroshenko of the Association Spilnyi Prostir. “This is encouraging and we hope that this trend will continue.”
In comparison with the third monitoring period, regional reporting of quality stories on IDP-related issues increased
We all share common responsibility and should thus show solidarity and reject confrontation.
“We have to understand that the problem of the displaced is not just “their” problem but it is also “our” problem. We all share common responsibility and should thus show solidarity and reject confrontation. We never know when we will depend on someone else’s help,” said Rasťo Kužel of MEMO 98. “It is good to see better quality stories, often driven by IDPs themselves. But the media can still do much more to help them.”
A series of training workshops that formed part of the project have been designed for regional media to strengthen their reporting ability by enhancing independence and quality of content, as well as strengthening their access to networks, both within Ukraine and beyond its borders.
The final monitoring reports covering all four monitoring periods will be published in February 2017. For more information on the monitoring results, please contact Lesya Yaroshenko.
