Euroasian Jewish News

EAJC General Council member Vyacheslav Likhachev (far left) leading practical exercises.

Seminars for Journalists Writing on National Minorities Take Place in Kyiv

On July 13-14 and 20-21, Kyiv hosted a pair of seminars for journalists, titled “National Minorities and Refugees in Ukrainian Media – Confronting Stereotypes, Increasing Tolerance.”

Journalists from different regions of Ukraine, as well as from different media forms (television, informational agencies, print and online media) participated in the seminar. The instructors were Euro-Asian Jewish Congress General Council member Vyacheslav Likhachev, the coordinator of the Without Bounds project of the Social Action Center Iryna Fedorovich, and another representative of the Social Action Center Maksim Butkevich.

During two intense work days, participants listened to lectures and completed practical assignments, gaining new knowledge and immediately applying it. The topics of the lectures and assignments included the concepts of discrimination and tolerance, xenophobia and stereotypes, hate crimes and hate speech. The lecturers explained the juridical base defining the legal status of national minorities, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Ukraine and other countries. Special attention was given to adequate coverage of such painful for the Ukrainian mass consciousness and difficult for the media topics as the so-called “illegal migration” and the annual autumn pilgrimage of Hasidim to Uman', to Rabbi Nachman's grave. These and certain other topics current to today's Ukrainian media space certainly necessitate special carefulness, reasonableness, and attention from Ukrainian journalists. Many of the exercises were dedicated to practical questions, including the retrieval of truthful information and competent opinions on these topics.

Approximately 30 representatives of Ukrainian media had undertaken the seminars. The project was organized by Internews in Ukraine, with the support of the Embassy of the USA in Ukraine.