How to unite the society? Conflict-sensitive journalism and dialogue training was held in Dnipro

On November 23-25, the training for journalists "Conflict-sensitive journalism and dialogue: methods and means of uniting society" was implemented in Dnipro.

The three-day training gave journalists understanding of how to be balanced in conflict enlightening, fair-minded, avoid personal judgements and one-sided statements. They mastered requirements for unbiased conflict-sensitive reporting: using of competent sources, qualified experts’ opinion and personal experience.

The training was attended online by media and political experts from Germany: Mr. Werner Sonne – ex correspondent and Bureau chief for ARD-TV Berlin, commentator on foreign and security policy, author of various novels and non-fiction books and Mr. Thomas Kreutzmann – reporter, news-presenter, presenter in tv-election programs for the national public broadcast ARD, ex-reporter in the media system in the former GDR/DDR in the period of Unification.

During the online sessions with German experts, the following topics were discussed:
- Transition from totalitarianism to a free system: personal experiences and observations of both experts in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Communist Germany during and shortly after the end of the Cold War; the challenges of the transition to a free press; critical analysis of the current situation of the media in these states.
- German media landscape. How they learned after 1945 from foreign role models to overcome dictatorship: German press today – the challenges for newspapers and journalists in a changing economic situation and the rise of social media; German Radio and Television – Public television versus privately owned television channels; a danger zone? How to control and regulate public television – the influence of politics in the electronic media; how to survive: the Internet and the electronic media.
- Media in the times of crisis – what´s their role for society and what does it mean for journalists: how to deal with coronavirus in the media – the role of public television; the refugee crisis – deep division in the public. What is the task of journalists – keep the distance or show empathy?

There was also brief inclusion of Mr. Rolf Nikel, German ex-ambassador in Warsaw, who told participants about the state of press freedom in today´s Poland, Mr. Mathis Feldhoff, chairman of the German Association of Parliament Journalists, who presented the challenges journalists facing in Berlin today, and Mr. Rainald Becker, the editor-in-chief of ARD TV, who spoke about TV in times of crisis. 

Besides, as part of the training, a press conference "Conflicts and dialogue: the role of civil society and media in the unification process" with participation of Mr. Peter Herr, Vice-Consul of the German Republic in Donetsk with an office in Dnipro, Mykhailo Gryshyn, the head of the "Regional Union of Youth", and Oleksandra Dvoretska, human rights activist, co-founder of "Vostok SOS" Charitable Foundation. During the event, important aspects of the activities of NGOs in conflict-prevention, nuances of peace building activities both in the period of conflicts and in the post-conflict period as well as Germany's contribution to peacebuilding in Ukraine and the support it provides to various actors in this direction were discussed.

The feedback received after the event indicates the benefits of knowledge and practical skills gained by the participants.

The training was implemented within the "Crisis prevention and Peace building in Ukraine – Time to Act!" project, supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by IFA (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), Funding programme zivik.