OSCE Project Co-ordinator at Donbas Media Forum - 2021

Donbas Media Forum is a flagship event for Ukrainian media community, bringing together participants from different regions of Ukraine for a fruitful discussion on media-related sphere. Launched by journalists from Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2015, it became a platform for discussing important issues related to journalism in Donbas. Later, the Forum became also a platform for communication between journalists and newsrooms, where it was possible not only to see colleagues who now work in all parts of the country, but also to plan collaborations for further co-operation, to learn experience of foreign journalists in conflict and post-conflict environments, and to create new formats of multimedia materials using new media tools.

Watch the Forum live (translation into English) here: https://youtu.be/AqAw_wwmRHQ. 

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine contributes to it by organising thematic discussions on a range of issues related to different aspects of media self-regulation. This year the Co-ordinator supports the following panels:

Friday, 5 November, 10:00-10:30

Opening remarks

• Dr. Karin Rölke, Senior Programme Co-ordinator of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine
• Matti Maasikas, Ambassador of the EU, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine (online or offline format TBC)
• Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration
• Serhiy Haidai, Head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration

5 November, Friday, 11:50-12:40

PANEL DISCUSSION "What is regulated by the Government, what can be regulated by the media community itself?"

Is the Government's intervention necessary to promote a media environment characterized by pluralism and diversity? Will the Government's ban on regulating the media automatically guarantee freedom of expression? Can self-regulation become the main tool of the media as a new means of governance? What to do with the practice of issuing fake press cards and does this need to be controlled? How should the state ensure the existence of free and independent media as opposed to oligarchic media?

Moderator: Liana Khorovytska, National Project Officer, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine.

Speakers:

• Taras Schevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine
• Olga Gerasymiuk, Chair of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting in Ukraine (TBC)
• Tetiana Lebedeva, Head of National Media Association, Member of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics
• Svitlana Ostapa, Head of Supervisory Board of UA:PBC

Saturday, 6 November,11:10-12:00.

PANEL DISCUSSION "New ethics: how to inform correctly and gain the trust of the audience"

At the 7th Donbass Media Forum we will talk about "New ethics: how to inform correctly and gain the trust of the audience". What is included in the concept of "new ethics" (feminitives, correct terminology, gender parity)? Why will the "new ethics" help gain the trust of your media audience? Specific cases of violations of journalistic ethics on the examples of Commission on Journalistic Ethics decisions. Discussion of the Handbook “How to bring your editorial staff and content closer to gender sensitivity?”.

Moderator: Yelyzaveta Kuzmenko, Chairman of the NGONGO
non-governmental organization "Women in the Media", Member of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics

Speakers:

• Anastasia Bagalika, journalist of the Public Radio, gender coordinator of "Respect"
• Angelina Karyakina, general producer of Public Information Broadcasting “Suspilne”
• Oleksandra Gorchynska, journalist of the Novoe Vremya

Saturday, 6 November, 14:10-15:00.

Non-Debate "Polarization in society/polarization in the media: are there recipes for counteraction?"

During the "Non-Debate" we will talk about the roots of polarization, division in society or hype in the journalistic community. What triggers and nourishes the polarization and what does it lead to? How to understand that one is no longer able to hear another? What are the practical manifestations of polarization and counteraction tools? Can the media prevent polarization on socially important topics?

Moderator: Iryna Eigelson, an independent facilitator.

Speakers:

• Kateryna Sergatskova, journalist, co-founder of the online publication "Zaborona ";
• Serhiy Nikitenko, journalist, editor of Most, Kherson. 

To participate online you can already register at the link: https://bit.ly/DMF2021-reg

Detailed agenda is available here: https://bit.ly/3muRlqS

The discussions are organized in the framework of the project "Strengthening Self-Regulation in Ukrainian Media", implemented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator with the financial support of the Governments of Federal Republic of Germany, Kingdom of Norway, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.