Media to the rescue

Ukraine’s media has seen much upheaval of late, with funding from US cut overnight. The freeze has affected numerous humanitarian and media organisations in Ukraine, including local newsrooms providing critical coverage in war-affected areas. In fact, nine out of ten media outlets in Ukraine are affected, including all of IMS’ partners in Ukraine. Consequently, Ukrainian independent media are at risk of being hindered when it comes to providing the public with accurate, unbiased information.

With this in mind, and as the three-year mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion is upon us, we share a few examples of media’s role in reconstruction and the value of public interest media from IMS partner Recovery Window Media Network (Recovery Window).

Recovery Win is a network of independent media, civil society organisations and thinktanks. The network focuses on the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine with a particular focus on anti-corruption. The network is a strategic partner of IMS and lost 80 percent of their total funding due to US President Trump’s decision to sign an executive order suspending foreign aid programs.

To Anastasiia Rudenko, media has a well-defined role in overcoming the challenges of recovery and in participating in finding solutions to problems stemming from the war.

She is the co-founder and head of the Recovery Window Media Network, and after a year spearheading the network, she understands full well that the list of issues which will help Ukraine become stronger is long and varied.

That is why one of her priorities during the first year was to assemble a database of experts. Recovery Win’s expert database is in high demand from the network’s media partners and covers specialists in ecology, energy, media management, sociology, architecture, law and more.

The Recovery Window Media Network officially and symbolically began its work on the Day of Unity of Ukraine, 22 January 2024.

“Through cooperation with state and local authorities, and representatives of regions, we make the voices of local communities louder in the recovery process. By highlighting their ideas, solutions and problems, we promote effective experiences and highlight ineffective ones, encouraging those responsible to change, including through journalistic investigations of recovery processes.”

For example, the Recovery Window partner Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center explained how every citizen can monitor procurement and help identify abuses and violations.

A fundamental principle of the media network is that recovery is not only about the physical reconstruction of infrastructure and housing, but also processes and people. Recovery Window content includes stories of families who moved, experienced loss, restored businesses, etc.

“We also emphasise that recovery is necessary today, because it is one of the main indicators of the state’s resilience,” says Anastasiia Rudenko.

Impact stories from Recovery Window’s partners

Compensation to Mykolaiv residents

A reader asked journalists of the Sviy Dim media outlet to spotlight the non-payment of compensation for flooded houses after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. The journalists spoke with three families and published officials’ answers regarding the reasons for the delay. In May 2024, the people affected finally received their payments. They are convinced that if they had kept quiet about the problem, nothing would have changed.

Attracting donor funds to reconstruction and increasing transparency

In Poltava, after Sil.media’s piece about modular houses that no one wants to live in, an initiative was launched to build several apartment buildings for displaced people. The city signed a memorandum with a foundation that will build housing for internally displaced people at its own expense. Landscaping and furnishing will happen with the help of another donor, and the overall result is that instead of inconvenient and small temporary modules, more than 20 families get fully-fledged housing.

Repair of water supply in Kryvyi Rih

After content was published about the general situation of the water supply in the Apostolivska community, two supply strands launched in the Kryvyi Rih district. The project will provide water to all communities of the Kryvyi Rih district.

More information: Read about the recovery of Ukraine on the Recovery Window Media Network’s website.

Who is rebuilding Ukraine

Reconstruction standards

The Recovery Window Media Network officially and symbolically began its work on the Day of Unity of Ukraine, 22 January 2024. A year later, the network has united more than 120 partners – independent national and regional media outlets, NGOs and thinktanks – on the topic of recovery of Ukraine.