Journalists discuss challenges in making Ukrainian voices heard in context of war

Lviv, May 28 (EFE) - Gathered in a bomb shelter, Ukrainian and foreign journalists discussed the challenges of making Ukrainian voices heard in the context of war all over the world, beyond the West. (Camera: ROSTYSLAV AVERCHUK).

SHOT LIST: THE LVIV MEDIA FORUM IN LVIV, UKRAINE.

SOUND BITES: OLGA MYROVYCH, HEAD OF THE NGO LVIV MEDIA FORUM; AND NATALIYA GUMENIUK, PROMINENT UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM LAB (IN UKRAINIAN).

TRANSLATIONS:

- Olga Myrovych:

1. "It may seem to us, Ukrainians, that we have already achieved a lot, that we have told our story to the world and that the world has listened to us. Unfortunately, this is often not the case."

- Nataliya Gumeniuk:

1. "We shouldn't tell [foreign audiences] that they don't know something about Ukraine. There are a lot of things that we don't know too. Instead, we have to ask: what do they don't understand [about the situation in Ukraine], what would you like to find out? I rather don't think we can reach [foreign audiences] by talking about geopolitics, which is how it is often seen. This is polarizing and immediately leads to conversations about [the struggle for dominance between] empires. Instead , the human dimension [of this war] is much clearer, it does not give rise to objections or debates."

2. "One of the biggest challenges is the perception of Ukraine as a bargaining chip among the big geopolitical players. However, the moment a person comes to Ukraine and actually talks to Ukrainian military and civilians with different points of view, He sees the real situation on the ground, his society and the ongoing war in all its complexity."

3. "It would be very important for me to talk [with my Latin American colleagues] after they visit Ukraine. We would not say: 'dear Latin Americans, now we are going to tell you [how everything is really]'. We would ask them: "What is it that Would it work for you and your audience?"