The work of journalists in the conditions of war is extremely valuable and important, because the voice of the media gives the whole world the opportunity to hear what is really happening in Ukraine.
The full-scale invasion of Russia on the territory of our country is accompanied by many atrocities and terrible war crimes, which the employees of independent newsrooms manage to record. Thanks to them, we are all able to learn more about what is happening on the front lines and read, see or hear the stories of the brave soldiers, all defense forces and even civilians who work every day to bring our victory closer.
“Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine” together with foreign partners together with five Ukrainian public organizations (Foundation “Suspilnist”, Regional Press Development Institute, Institute of mass information, “Detector Media” and Center for Democracy and Rule of Law) launched and successfully implemented a program for the insurance of Ukrainian journalists. During 2022 and 2023, the “International Insurance Fund for Journalists” offered perfect insurance solutions to protect the health and life of media workers. The insurance amount is up to 100,000 US dollars. During the existence of the project, there were no insurance cases.
— During the project, we processed and insured almost 300 applications from media workers, for 886 insurance days, — says Oksana Brovko, director of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine. — In order for journalists to receive insurance on time, our team worked 24/7, we communicated with each and everyone who applied for support. We accompanied colleagues in all matters — from filling out an application, general explanations and recommendations to constant communication during business trips. Our coordinators cheered for everyone they worked with and were always ready to give advice or help solve problems! It was a difficult challenge, but he was very responsible. And our team managed!
Insurance could be issued not only by journalists, but also by fixers, videographers, editors, and photographers of independent Ukrainian media who were sent on official business trips to war zones, liberated territories, border territories with Russia and Belarus, and frontline territories.
In fact, it is not about one, two or even three regions. It was possible to apply by going to the following areas:
Khersonsk
Zaporizhzhia
Sumy
Mykolayivska
Donetsk
Luhansk
Odesa
Kharkivska
Dnipropetrovsk
The border of Kyiv and Chernihiv
The project took place thanks to the financial support of partners — ECPMF and WAN-IFRA.
— We understand how important such support is for Ukrainian journalists. There are no permanent quality media insurance programs in the country. Therefore, our initiative is an opportunity for editorial offices to issue a security guarantee for their employees free of charge and quickly, — says Oksana Brovko. — Now we are actively working on the continuation of the project and we believe that soon we will inform everyone of the good news about its restoration.
You can view details of the project and feedback from participants on the website https://war-correspondent.info, as well as follow the page “Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine” on Facebook. Here you can also watch video stories produced with the support of the “International Insurance Fund for Journalists”.
— Thanks to this support, it is possible to create stories and show the world the truth. It is very important for us to feel that there will be reliable support in case of injuries, etc., says Serhiy Shapovalov, a correspondent of Suspilne Sumy, who regularly shoots stories in the Sumy Oblast bordering Russia. Each such video is a risk, because no one knows at what moment and “what will fly from the enemy”.
