Over the years of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukrainian journalists have developed new ways of working in circumstances for which no established international guidelines existed: constant FPV drone attacks, large-scale aerial attacks, the real-time documentation of war crimes, and new approaches to safety, information verification, newsroom management, and supporting editorial teams.
Much of this experience remains largely local, even though it already has the potential to make journalism in future conflicts safer and more effective.
Ukraine has accumulated knowledge and expertise that could help shape a new generation of international standards. But is the international journalism community ready to move beyond a model in which Ukraine is primarily a recipient of guidelines and towards one in which Ukrainian journalists — alongside journalists with extensive experience of working in Ukraine — become co-authors of those standards?
The discussion will examine which international standards no longer reflect the realities of modern warfare, which lessons from Ukraine should be institutionalised, how newsrooms can become centres of international expertise, and what needs to change for Ukrainian journalists to help shape global professional standards rather than simply follow them.
Moderator: Nataliya Gumenyuk, Co-founder and Executive Director, Public Interest Journalism Lab.
Speakers:● Kateryna Sergatskova, Director, Daily Humanity;● Marian Kushnir, Correspondent Radio Liberty;● Fabrice Deprez, The Financial Times.

Journalism is often described as a mission or a calling, and less often as a job. Yet it is a job like any other: with hiring and dismissal, with an employment contract or without one, with paid leave and sick leave - or without them - with military mobilization, burnout, and the need for psychological support and insurance. The war has made these issues more acute: staff cuts, the shift to freelancing, remote or project-based work, dangerous conditions, no days off or holidays - all of this has become everyday reality for the media. At the same time, those who actively fight for justice for others are unable to defend their own labor rights. As a result, those who document other people's vulnerability every day remain vulnerable themselves.
Moderator: Anna Ovcharenko, owner and CEO, EАSTERN POINT.
Speakers:● Vladyslav Bundash, Executive Producer of Hromadske Radio;● Volodymyr Mzhelskyi, CEO “5 channel”;●  Lina Kushch, First Secretary, National Union of Journalists of Ukraine;● Yurii Smyrnov, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of LIGA.net.

We often talk about the “integration of veterans” — as if veterans were a separate group existing somewhere outside society and needing to find their place within it. But veterans are already part of society. The question, then, is not how to integrate them into the old rules, but how to create new rules for living together in a society where people have very different experiences of war. Our institutions, workplaces, services, public spaces, media, and everyday habits all need to change. But how? And where do we begin?
It is easy to thank veterans as long as that gratitude remains symbolic and those receiving it remain abstract heroic figures rather than real people — people we may not necessarily like. But what happens when symbolic gratitude is no longer enough, and what is required instead is a genuine willingness to give up some of our own comfort?
The media bear a particular responsibility in this process. To a large extent, they shape whom society sees: a flawless hero, a potentially dangerous person with PTSD, a recipient of assistance, or a citizen with their own voice, views, and right to disagree.
Media can either reinforce the distance between “veterans” and “society” by constantly emphasizing their difference, or help bring everyone back into a shared social space.
How do we talk about veterans without romanticizing or stigmatizing them? How do we acknowledge and respect military experience without diminishing it — but also without turning veterans into an untouchable class? And are the media themselves prepared to move beyond simple heroic narratives and sensational headlines in favor of portraying people who are more complex, contradictory, and sometimes uncomfortable?
Moderator: Anna Sukhetska, Editor-in-Chief of the “Nostos” project at Suspilne
Speakers:● Oksana Seniv, Videographer at Suspilne News;● Mykola Hradnov-Savytskyi, Community manager at Pryncyp, human rights center for military personnel and veterans;● Diana Zhvinklis, Head of the «Kharakter» Military Platform

Description to be confirmed.
Speakers to be confirmed.

Media outlets are increasingly building their communications around individual journalists, presenters, or writers who become the faces of their channels, websites, and editorial projects. Audiences find it easier to form an emotional connection with a person than with a media institution. A recognisable face helps attract new audiences, build trust, promote content, and generate revenue.
However, this model also carries risks. Audiences may place their trust in an individual journalist rather than the newsroom. That journalist’s mistakes, public disputes, or political views can affect the reputation of the entire outlet. And if its public face decides to leave, they may take some of the audience, partners, and advertisers with them.
During the discussion, participants will explore whether newsrooms should actively invest in developing journalists’ personal brands or collaborate with those who already have established ones. They will also discuss how to make a journalist’s personal brand an asset to the newsroom without making the outlet dependent on a single person.
Moderator: Vlasta Lazur, Journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Speakers:● Maksym Shcherbyna, Creative Producer at Toronto Television;● Lesia Ivanova, Bihus.Info, Deputy Editor-in-Chief;● Andrii Boborykin, Executive Director, Ukrainska Pravda;● Diana Dutsyk, Executive Director, NGO Ukrainian Media and Communacation Institute.

Ukrainian media professionals have been living and working under conditions of risk for years. For some, this has meant four years of full-scale war; for others, twelve. Over that time, danger, loss, injury, exhaustion and working under fire have become part of the professional routine for many.
Imagine a war correspondent returning from yet another assignment, during which a missile struck just a hundred metres away. They file their story and say they are fine. What should the newsroom do next? Suggest some time off? Talk through what happened? Recommend speaking to a specialist? And what if the journalist does not feel they need any of this?
Caring for journalists begins long before moments like these and does not end with psychological counselling. It means assessing risks before an assignment, providing proper protective equipment and insurance, ensuring the right to refuse a dangerous assignment, organising rotations, allowing enough time for recovery, supporting those who live and work in front-line cities, and creating space for people to speak openly about their own limits and wellbeing.
But responsibility cannot be one-sided. Newsrooms do not always understand what a journalist is actually experiencing in the field. Journalists, in turn, do not always speak openly about exhaustion, fear or the fact that they are no longer coping. It is often this difference in perspective that creates a divide between the two.
There are other contradictions as well. Journalists may spend years explaining to civilians why evacuation is necessary, but when the decision to leave concerns their own lives, it becomes an entirely different matter. They write about the importance of psychological support, yet may sometimes interpret an editor's suggestion to seek professional help as a sign that their professionalism is being questioned.
Can a newsroom ever truly guarantee a journalist's safety? What are the minimum conditions without which a high-risk assignment should not go ahead? How do we support those for whom war is not a rotation, but everyday life? And how can care become an institutional practice rather than something that depends on the goodwill of an individual manager or on personal relationships within a team?
Moderator: Marharyta Mishchuk, Communications Manager of Mental Health for Ukraine project.
Speakers:● Viacheslav Mavrychev, Editor-in-chef Suspilne Kharkiv;● Daria Litovchenko, correspondent, "Freedom UATV";● Piskova-Evych, War correspondent IA "Vchasno", Frontliner● Olena Leptuha, Editor-in-chief of the media Nakypilo, head of the NGO Kharkiv Crisis Infocenter.

We are used to saying that journalism must show the truth. But is there a point at which truth stops being testimony and becomes the exploitation of someone else’s suffering?

The fourth year of the full-scale war has only made these questions more urgent. Do we need to photograph and show the dead for the world to understand the true cost of Russian aggression? Does a person retain the right to dignity even at the moment of greatest tragedy? Has provoking an emotional response become the primary goal of today’s media and bloggers? And have the algorithms of media platforms effectively become independent authors and editors, deciding which stories millions of people will see?

In trying not to traumatize our audiences, we sometimes shield them from the most painful realities of war. But in doing so, do we risk making the war feel abstract? How do we find a balance between the need to document crimes, respect for human dignity, and our responsibility to society?

This discussion is not about providing a ready-made set of guidelines. It is about the decisions journalists, photographers, and editors make every day — decisions that shape not only the news, but also how this war will be remembered in our collective memory.
Moderator: Viktoriia Kurchynska, photo editor, special projects editor Suspilne News
Speakers:● Danylo Pavlov, documentary photographer, photo editor at Reporters magazine;● Vlada Liberova, Ukrainian documentary photographer, cofounder of documentary project LIBKOS;● Olga Kovalova, CEO, Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP); Founder and Director, UAPP School of Photography and Visual Culture.

As a result of the full-scale invasion, approximately 1.5 million Ukrainian children have found themselves in occupied territories. Tens of thousands more have been forcibly deported to Russia. Occupation authorities have launched a large-scale program aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity and subjecting children to re-education and militarization. These children are denied access to Ukrainian education, exposed to imposed Russian history and propaganda, and have their cultural and information environments altered. What is Ukraine doing to bring these children home? Which mechanisms are already in place, and what are we still lacking? And most importantly—how much time do we have before systematic propaganda and Russification fundamentally alter the children's identities?
Moderator: Olena Rozvodovska, Chair of the Board of the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation
Speakers:● Darya Kasyanova, The head of board “Ukrainian Child’s Rights Network”;● Oksana Cherviakova, Representantive (Deputy) of the Commissioner for the Rights of the Children’s;● Oleksandra Dvoretska, Bring Kids Back UA;● Myroslava Kharchenko, Save Ukraine

How can data help journalists conduct investigations? Using specific case studies, participants will be able to test practical tools that can assist journalists in collecting and analysing data from the Declaration Register, the Register of Corrupt Offenders, the Whistleblower Reporting Portal, the Transparency Register (lobbyists), the POLITDATA Register (political party financing), and the Information System for Monitoring the Implementation of State Anti-Corruption Policy. The workshop will also cover the use of the open API, filters, analytical dashboard creation, and more. During the practical exercises, it will also be important to gather participants’ suggestions. Experience shows that NACP actively responds to requests from journalists and data analysts to improve its IT tools.
Moderator: Andrii Ianitskyi, chairman NGO ProMedia.
Speakers:● Anna Kovtunenko, Chief of Department of Information Systems, Analytics and Information Security, NACP;● Denys Hubashov, Open Data Policy Implementation Consultant;● Artur Chemyrys, Co-founder and journalist at 18000

This panel addresses strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) — legal actions brought not to defend a violated right, but to intimidate, exhaust and silence journalists, newsrooms and engaged citizens. For the media, this is one of the quietest yet most effective forms of pressure: not an outright ban, but the threat of years in court and mounting costs.
Ukraine now has, for the first time, a response to this challenge — a legislative package developed with the support of a Council of Europe project, designed to bring the protection of free speech into line with European anti-SLAPP standards. The next step is its adoption. That is why this is not an abstract discussion about pressure on the media, but advocacy for a concrete decision.
Around one table are those who see the problem from every angle: Supreme Court Judge Yan Bernaziuk — how anti-SLAPP mechanisms will work in the courtroom; media lawyers Ihor Rozkladai (CEDEM) and Maksym Dvorovyi (Digital Security Lab), who worked on the framework — what the package actually changes; Flutura Kusari (ECPMF, Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe) — the European standard and why it has worked elsewhere; Natalia Petrova (Council of Europe) — how this fits Ukraine's European commitments; and journalist Maria Muzychko (Bihus.Info) — what is at stake for those who dare to speak an uncomfortable truth. Together they will openly examine the challenges, obstacles and opportunities on the path to adoption: how these provisions will work in court, why it matters to vote on them now, and what will change for everyone who speaks.
Because freedom of speech rests not only on the courage of those who speak, but on the law that protects them.
Moderator: Oleksandr Burmagin, Member of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine.
Speakers:● Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;● Olga Vdovenko, Director of Legal Affairs, NGO "Human Rights Platform";● Vita Volodovska, Head, Digital Security Lab Ukraine;● Yan Bernaziuk, Judge of the Supreme Court in the Administrative Court of Cassation;● Vasyl Krat, Supreme Court Justice;● Mariia Muzychka, Lawyer, Head of the Legal Department at Bihus.Info;● Inna Reznykova (Vedernikova), Domestic Politics Editor at ZN.UA;● Karol Łuczka, Eastern Europe Press Freedom Advisor.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have documented more than 260,000 war crimes. The war continues to intensify, yet already now there is a clear public need to preserve the memory of what people have lived through — the fallen soldiers and civilians, occupation, captivity, deportation, and destroyed cities. While the Ukrainian state is developing approaches to establishing major national museums and memorials, society is in search of a language in which to speak about these experiences. Across the country, local community initiatives, temporary memorials, and spontaneous sites of remembrance are emerging.
But what should new memorials and museums look like? How do we avoid reproducing familiar, outdated models of remembrance, and what new practices and forms of commemoration are emerging instead? What role should communities play in shaping the memory of what has been experienced, and what is the role of the state? Can sites of memory become part of vibrant public spaces and community life? What can Ukraine learn from other societies that have experienced war and mass violence — and which forms of remembrance need to emerge specifically from the Ukrainian experience?
These questions will be discussed by journalists and researchers working on issues of war and memory. The conversation will draw on the participants’ research and practical experience, including the Public Interest Journalism Lab’s work on a new media project exploring Ukrainian and international memorialization practices for the Life of War platform, as well as the experience of the Memorial Platform in preserving the memory of those killed as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Moderator: Nataliya Gumenyuk, Public Interest Journalism Lab.
Speakers:● Angelina Kariakina, Co-founder of the Public Interest Journalism Lab, Advisor to the Head of Suspilne Ukraine Managing Board and a Member of the News Committee of the European Broadcasting Union;● Haiane Avakian, Co-founder of The Memorial Platform;● Oleksandr Popenko, Photographer, Public interest journalism lab

Description to be confirmed.
Speakers to be confirmed.

Topics for discussion:1. Why is the visibility of the issue of occupied territories in the media gradually declining? Is it due to fatigue, the ongoing war, or dependence on the foreign policy agenda?2. How can we avoid a situation where the topic of temporarily occupied territories (TOT) surfaces only in the wake of tragedies, repressions, attacks, or high-profile political events? What is lost when the TOT are mentioned in media coverage of the war, negotiations, or attacks merely as context or 'background'?3. Achieving balance in reporting on the TOT: why do residents of occupied territories often remain objects of the narrative rather than active voices within it?4. How can we report on the daily lives of people under occupation when journalists cannot physically work on the ground? Ethical, technical, and security constraints.5. How can newsrooms be encouraged to cover the TOT systematically, even if such stories generate less reach? What formats can draw audience attention back to the TOT without resorting to sensationalism or the exploitation of suffering?"
Speakers:● Galyna Petrenko, Director of NGO Detector Media;● Dmytro Zinchuk, Lead Expert on Media Development at Internews Ukraine;● Svitlana Ostapa, Chair of Supervisory Board of PJSC National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine; Deputy Chief Editor of the Detector Media portal;● Liubov Rakovytsia, Head of DII-Ukraine and Chair of the Organizing Committee of Donbas Media Forum;● Andrii Dikhtiarenko, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Realna Gazeta, Luhansk Oblast.

Advertising is becoming less reliable, grant funding cannot be the only pillar of sustainability, and artificial intelligence is changing how audiences find and consume news. At the same time, people are already paying for subscriptions, services, creators, communities, and digital content — but they are not always willing to pay for journalism.

What exactly will media outlets be able to offer their audiences in 2030: access to content, community membership, useful services, events, expertise, or trust? Why are people quick to donate to volunteers and bloggers, but far less likely to support newsrooms? How much does the payment experience itself affect people’s willingness to pay — and could instant payments, recurring contributions, and micropayments reshape the economics of media?

This discussion is about a new relationship between newsrooms and their audiences: what media organizations need to create, what people actually value, and how that value can be turned into a sustainable business model.
Moderator: Daria Trapeznikova, Editor at Forbes Ukraine, founder and author at Rivni Media.
Speakers:● Andrii Ianitskyi, ProMedia NGO, chairman;● Anton Dorozhan, Charity Manager, Director of PrivatBank Corporate Charitable Foundation;● Serhii Prokopenko, Editor at Gwara media;● Anna-Veronika Krasnopolska, CEO of Kunsht, a popular science media outlet;● Nataliya Koteneva, CEO Ligamedia та Nexa.

This panel addresses strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) — legal actions brought not to defend a violated right, but to intimidate, exhaust and silence journalists, newsrooms and engaged citizens. For the media, this is one of the quietest yet most effective forms of pressure: not an outright ban, but the threat of years in court and mounting costs.
Ukraine now has, for the first time, a response to this challenge — a legislative package developed with the support of a Council of Europe project, designed to bring the protection of free speech into line with European anti-SLAPP standards. The next step is its adoption. That is why this is not an abstract discussion about pressure on the media, but advocacy for a concrete decision.
Around one table are those who see the problem from every angle: Supreme Court Judge Yan Bernaziuk — how anti-SLAPP mechanisms will work in the courtroom; media lawyers Ihor Rozkladai (CEDEM) and Maksym Dvorovyi (Digital Security Lab), who worked on the framework — what the package actually changes; Flutura Kusari (ECPMF, Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe) — the European standard and why it has worked elsewhere; Natalia Petrova (Council of Europe) — how this fits Ukraine's European commitments; and journalist Maria Muzychko (Bihus.Info) — what is at stake for those who dare to speak an uncomfortable truth. Together they will openly examine the challenges, obstacles and opportunities on the path to adoption: how these provisions will work in court, why it matters to vote on them now, and what will change for everyone who speaks.
Because freedom of speech rests not only on the courage of those who speak, but on the law that protects them.
Moderator: Oleksandr Burmagin, Member of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine.
Speakers:
● Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;
● Olga Vdovenko, Director of Legal Affairs, NGO "Human Rights Platform";
● Vita Volodovska, Head, Digital Security Lab Ukraine;
● Yan Bernaziuk, Judge of the Supreme Court in the Administrative Court of Cassation;
● Vasyl Krat, Supreme Court Justice;
● Mariia Muzychka, Lawyer, Head of the Legal Department at Bihus.Info;
● Inna Reznykova (Vedernikova), Domestic Politics Editor at ZN.UA;
● Karol Łuczka, Eastern Europe Press Freedom Advisor.

New geography, new content without borders. Should media outlets remain in border areas, or relocate partially or entirely? Some regional frontline media are expanding beyond the geographic boundaries of their communities, experimenting with new formats, platforms and topics, and using AI. What does this transformation mean for the regional journalists who actually produce the content?

How are the audiences of relocated and frontline media changing? How are newsrooms serving frontline communities, internally displaced people, Ukrainians living abroad, and national and international audiences at the same time? How can media outlets build a base of loyal supporters (clubs, communities) while working at both national and regional levels?

How are the relocation of businesses and economic clusters, shifts in audiences and changes in content affecting the business models that media need for long-term sustainability? As donor funding declines, where is support most urgently needed?

Which trends in the transformation of Ukraine's media landscape are you already seeing? And what are your predictions for 2027?
Moderator: Oksana Maidan, FAIR Project Director, Informed (reg. as Internews International).
Speakers:● Serhii Kolesnikov, #ШОТАМ, editor-co-founder;● Anna Murlykina, editor-in-chief of the 0629 website and coordinator of the “Relocated Media Cluster” project at DII-Ukraine;● Dmytro Lukianenko, local online media outlet Kramatorsk Post, CEO, co-founder;● Yuliia Kanzeba, Journalist TRYBUN

Presentation of the Guide to International Donors for Ukrainian Media, prepared by media expert Oleh Khomenko.

Media outlets that do not have established fundraising teams often find it difficult to navigate the donor landscape and understand with whom, in what format, and for what purpose they can build partnerships. The team of the Regional Press Development Institute believes that media teams should view fundraising as part of long-term, two-way work to strengthen the sustainability of the sector.

During the session, participants can expect:

● presentation of the Guide;
● short presentations by representatives of the donor community, including teams from UNESCO, IMS, IWPR, PFRU, Fondation Hirondelle, and others;
● practice pitches by participants of the RPDI project supported by Fojo Media Institute / the Swedish Institute, followed by feedback from donors;
● an opportunity for those interested to share their vision of partnerships with donors.

Moderated by the RPDI team — Sofiia Skyba, Tetiana Kornyk, Alona Muzyka

Participating media teams include Slovianski Vidomosti, MediaPort, Slobidskyi Krai, Karachun, report.if.ua, and others.

Ukrinform, Ukraine's national news agency, presents its unique experience of turning a multimedia journalism project into a printed book.
"Commanders of Victory" is more than a collection of interviews with the leaders of various branches of Ukraine's Defense Forces (including Kyrylo Budanov, Pavlo Palisa, Oleksandr Pivnenko, and Oleh Ivashchenko). It is an important record of contemporary history.
During the event, the agency's team will share how they created the book entirely in-house, from the initial idea and design to prepress. Special attention will be given to the book's symbolism: it contains the commanders' original autographs, and its bookmark is adorned with a combat shell casing crafted by Olha Konoval, the wife of the late Hero of Ukraine Serhii Konoval. The team will also discuss the role of the media in documenting the war.
The Vasyl Slipak Ensemble of the “Cultural Forces” will perform a musical program at the end of the presentation.

Description to be confirmed.
Speakers to be confirmed.