IMI media expert meeting students: Journalists need a cool head on the front line

Oleksandr Ruban meeting students of the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University / Photo by the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University

It is crucial that journalists keep a cool head and are able to make well-informed and well-thought-out decisions when working in a war zone, because this can save lives, stressed the Institute of Mass Information media expert Oleksandr Ruban at a meeting with students of the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University.

Oleksandr Ruban talked about:

• assessing the risks (to life and health) and threats (shelling, landmines, no GPS, etc.);
• risk management;
• the danger of group thinking (because even the most experienced people can make mistakes);
• safety aspects;
• route planning;
• working on the ground.

Oleksandr Ruban meeting students of the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University. Photo by the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University

"When working on the front line you must be ready for anything, keep all the potential threats in mind at all times. You must know where to park your car, because it can be spotted by a Russian drone. The team must remember that Russian shelling can begin at any moment, and have an action plan, know where to take cover, know where the nearest hospitals are, where the tourniquets are stored. There can be many dangerous situations, so everything must be taken into account. This can save lives," the media expert noted.

At the same time, Oleksandr remarked that he was glad to observe the students' interest in the work of journalists during a full-scale war with Russia and in the work of the Institute of Mass Information.

"I think this is a good opportunity for them to understand the specifics of the work of modern media and to make decisions about their future," he said.

Meeting with students of the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University. Photo by the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University

Oleksandr Ruban also spoke about the IMI providing mass media with safety gear for work trips to the combat zone – bulletproof vests, helmets, individual first-aid kits and other equipment – which the organization has been doing since 2014.

"Meeting Oleksandr Ruban clarified some things about the work of a journalist in wartime. In addition to certain well-known caveats and nuances, he also talked about the situations he has been through that can happen to an inexperienced journalist," said Maryna Dyakova, a sophomore student at the Zhytomyr Polytechnic.

The Institute of Mass Information is open to proposals for lectures to students. We will be happy to share our experience and speak to future media workers about defending the rights of journalists, analyzing the media landscape and covering media-related events, fighting propaganda and disinformation. Contact [email protected].

Collective photo from the meeting with students of the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University. Photo by the Zhytomyr Polytechnic University

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) is a Ukrainian public media organization that has been operating since 1996. The IMI defends the rights of journalists, analyzes the media field and covers media-related events, fights propaganda and disinformation and has been providing media outlets with safety gear for trips to the combat zone since the start of the Russo–Ukrainian war in 2014.

The IMI carries out Ukraine's only freedom of speech monitoring and keeps a list of high quality and sustainable online media outlets, documents Russia's crimes against the media committed in the course of the war on Ukraine. The IMI has representatives in 20 oblasts of Ukraine and a network of "Mediabaza" hubs to provide journalists with continuous support. The IMI's partners include Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House; the organization is a member of the International Organization for the Protection of Freedom of Expression (IFEX).