1:52 pm Events, News, Projects

Media Trends, War Challenges and Awards for Resilience: Results of the XIII Media Congress

The XIII Media Congress is a major media event of the year that brought together more than 120 participants from all over Ukraine to listen to 30 practitioners. The event was organised by the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine with the support of its partners.

At the beginning of the Congress, all those present observed a minute of silence in memory of all those who died in the war as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Unfortunately, our colleagues, journalists, editors, and videographers are among them. 

Top media managers of the country, editors-in-chief of regional websites, newspapers, publishers, and media business owners gathered in Lviv on 28 September to discuss current media trends and challenges, share experiences, catch their breath, and recharge their batteries for further work. It was extremely valuable to have the presence and support of our partners and colleagues who came to be with Ukrainian media professionals at this time — Ladina Heimgartner, President of WAN-IFRA (Switzerland), Randi S. Øgrey, Director of the Norwegian Media Business Association, Helene Sand Andresen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway to Ukraine, Andre Støylen, CEO at Amedia Foundation (Norway), Jon Hammerfield, founder of Labrador CMS (Norway).  

— It is extremely important to meet with our colleagues and partners at a time when we all continue to fight for our country, democratic values and human dignity. I would like to thank the media professionals who work tirelessly despite the rocket attacks, lack of electricity, heat and normal communication. I hope that each of us at the Congress was able to feel safe and surrounded by like-minded people, to celebrate small and big victories, to be inspired by new ideas and to get a boost of energy to keep working, — said Oksana Brovko, СEO of the Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine.


Modern media trends

The Congress became a platform for discussing new technologies, monetisation strategies, and the development of social networks. Panel discussions on the future of media, practical cases of editorial development and content monetisation, introduction of AI and technological innovations into editorial processes, networking opportunities with colleagues and partners, and more than 10 hours of media immersion.

An important element and addition to the event was the safety psychological training that took place the day before (27 September), where 40 selected participants could improve their mental health and get practical advice from psychologists on how to overcome stress, recognise and prevent burnout as a result of professional activities.

We are preparing for you and will share the most interesting cases, presentations and conclusions from the speeches of Ukrainian and international speakers and panel discussions. So don’t miss it, follow the updates on our website and social media. 



After the main streams were over, all guests had the opportunity to socialise, talk to those they hadn’t seen for a long time, meet and exchange impressions. The Light in the Dark Awards were presented to individual newsrooms for their professional resilience and contribution to our Victory.

Awards for resilience

— In fact, each and every one of those present deserves special recognition for their work and contribution to the Victory. When I read the news about the latest shelling of our cities, I see not conventional houses or streets, but regional media workers working there. Thank you for that! — Oksana Brovko said. — But there are those who have faced more difficulties, obstacles and challenges than others. That is why our team decided to recognise those media outlets that have become a light for their communities and the world in times of deepest darkness. Those who have fallen but recovered, those who are not just walking, but running, jumping and flying.

Thus, the Light in the Darkness and Professional Resilience awards were presented to those local media teams who continue to shine their light in these difficult times. Those who continue to tell stories of human courage and indomitable spirit, who convey the truth to the world despite any obstacles.

— The team of the Chernihiv Media Group, who went through difficult times at the very beginning of the full-scale war. When the city was being fought for and Russian troops were trying to capture it, the media quickly changed, adapted and continued to live.  The team quickly got back on its feet, resumed work and continues to inform the Chernihiv region with quality content.

Trudova Slava Media, Zaporizhzhia Oblast — despite the fact that the editorial office was destroyed and the staff was forced to evacuate, their newspaper continues to be published. The team works and regularly delivers the truth to the city, where up to 1,000 residents are now living under shelling without electricity, water and gas.

For the Frontliner team, their work in the war did not begin on 24 February, but in 2014. They boldly record the crimes of the Russians in Donbas, and are now one of the main sources of photographic documentation of the truth for most foreign media.

Vorskla from Velyka Pysarivka (Sumy region) has not only not lost its passion for the profession after the destruction of their editorial office, but also continues to deliver its publication to readers in difficult conditions. Even in the first weeks of the war, they did not stop producing and delivering the newspaper printed on a printer to their readers.

Hryvnia from Kherson has a traumatic experience of working under fire, journalists have a traumatic experience of communicating with victims, and some media have other experiences – being under occupation, evacuating part of the team, relocating all team members, losing everything. But despite this, their media is not only recovering, but also actively developing.

The MIG team from Zaporizhzhia works for the readers of the region, more than 70% of which is occupied. The nuclear power plant is located almost 100 kilometres from the newsroom. Despite these security risks, our colleagues continue their work.

Kordon.Media is almost always in the thick of things and in all the hot spots. They shoot video and photo reports from the most dangerous places on the frontline, while being almost constantly under fire themselves. Their example gives all of us courage and pride in the extraordinary people our colleagues are.

Our joint work is the key to victory and building a new and better future for Ukraine. We continue to work to provide truthful and objective coverage. Photos and videos from the event, interesting case studies — read and watch further on the website and in social media. Don’t miss it.  


The event was supported by our partners:

Visited 27 times, 1 visit(s) today

Close