Solidarity that teaches: journalism education as a pillar of media during wartime
On 23 December, the Ivano-Frankivsk Centre for Journalistic Solidarity, together with colleagues from the Volyn, Rivne, Chernihiv and Kherson regions, held a meeting to discuss the challenges faced daily by the media in frontline regions.
The event became a platform not only for professional discussion about the working conditions of journalists during the war, but also for reflection on the role of journalism education as the foundation of professional stability and responsibility.
Representatives of the educational community of Kherson State University joined the discussion: Svitlana Klymovych, head of the Department of Ukrainian and Slavic Philology and Journalism; Andrii Solomakhin, guarantor of the Journalism educational programme; and Valentina Pestushko, a student and practising journalist. In their speeches, they emphasised that in wartime, journalism education takes on special significance, as it is not only about developing professional skills, but also about fostering responsibility, ethical sensitivity and the ability to work with information in conditions of risk and constant pressure.
Representatives of the media in the frontline regions shared real stories about their work: from a lack of resources and security threats to psychological exhaustion and loss of human resources. In this context, the participants repeatedly returned to the topic of education as a tool for supporting and restoring the media sphere. It is universities, educational programmes and teachers who are shaping a new generation of journalists who are forced to enter the profession in extremely difficult conditions, but at the same time have a clear understanding of the standards, values and social mission of journalism.
The importance of interaction between practitioners and educators was emphasised separately, as experience of working in frontline regions should become part of the educational process. Such dialogue is a guarantee of maintaining the quality of journalism and audience trust even in the most difficult times.
The meeting at the Centre for Journalistic Solidarity showed that support for the media in frontline regions is impossible without a strong educational component. The solidarity of journalists, backed up by professional training, is becoming an important resource for the Ukrainian information space in wartime.
Department of Ukrainian and Slavic Philology and Journalism, Kherson State University