Norway has been a reliable partner of Ukraine and Ukrainian independent regional media throughout the years of full-scale invasion. In times of crisis, the support of those who are close by and ready to listen becomes especially important.
This week, Oksana Brovko, CEO of the Association of Independent Regional Press Publishers of Ukraine, is on a working visit to Norway. On Thursday, January 29, she met with Masud Gharahkhani, the President of the Norwegian Parliament, with whom she has had numerous communications and meetings. The last of these was last summer at Norway’s most democratic event, the Arendalsuka forum. This dialogue is a continuation of systematic cooperation and a deeper understanding of the real conditions in which Ukrainian regional media operate today.
— It was fundamentally important for me to continue speaking on behalf of Ukrainian regional media. Our previous conversation with Masud Gharahkhani took place in Arendal. Back then, in August, I gave the President of Parliament a copy of the local newspaper Ridne Misto from Myrnohrad (Pokrovsk District, Donetsk Region). This time, I was again holding a fresh issue intended for local readers. However, the city has already been almost completely destroyed, — says Oksana Brovko, — says Oksana Brovko.
It was also an opportunity to show to Masud Gharahkhani the media that is published practically in the dark — Odesa Life. Its thousandth issue was printed during a blackout. Vorskla, MIG, Hryvnia, Kremenchutskyi Telegraf, and Trudova Slava are now in the Norwegian Parliament as proof that local journalism in Ukraine is alive. Speaking about regional media, Oksana Brovko emphasized how they work every day — under shelling, in the cold, under pressure, in a reality where journalists are not only silenced but also deliberately physically destroyed. Support from partners is what keeps them going and prevents them from falling, strengthens their resilience, and enables them to speak the truth.
Today, with the support of Norway, the Association of Independent Regional Press Publishers of Ukraine is implementing the project Stronger Together: Media and Democracy, aimed at strengthening the resilience of regional editorial offices, developing investigative journalism and leadership skills, and promoting gender equality. At the same time, the Emergency Support Program for Regional Media continues to help media outlets.
