Does it make any sense at all to talk about doing constructive journalism in a war zone?

According to 16 Ukrainian journalists who visited Constructive Institute on18th of February, the answer is yes.

Obviously, people in Ukraine need to have access to the news about drone attacks, clashes at the border and dramatic changes in USA’s support – or rather lack of support – for Ukraine.

People need to know what is going on – also when it is bad news.

But – according to several of the Ukrainian reporters visiting Constructive Institute – people need more than that.

They also want to hear about possible solutions to common problems in daily life in a war zone. They want to have the news put in perspective and get a proper explanation of what is going on.

They need the journalists to engage and involve the citizens when reporting on issues that matter for the local communities.

And all those three elements are exactly what constructive journalism is all about.

The Ukrainian journalists learned about constructive journalism from the head of the Fellowship Program at Constructive Institute, former investigative reporter, Orla Borg.

Head of the Ukrainian delegation, Oleksiy Soldatenko, Programs Director IRMI Ukraine, says that constructive journalism is very much in line with both needs of Ukrainian society and how media could address it.

The 16 Ukrainian journalists, most of them working with reporting from the front line in Ukraine, visited Constructive Institute in Aarhus just a couple of days prior to the three year day of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

The tour to Denmark was organized by the Nordic Journalist Center and the Ukrainian IMRI, Institute for Regional Media and Information, an international media training organization.

The visit also included a visit to The Danish Parliament, the Danish Union of Journalists and a doorstep meeting with the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

“For us in Ukraine it is very important not just to win the war but also to win a peace. For a society, which has certain fault lines that divides people, where media are thinking of their role in strengthening social cohesion in their communities and making strong efforts to re-connect their audiences that are spread across the country and abroad, constructive journalism, I am sure, can play its strong role. It may help to build bridges between people, involve them into the dialogue of the vision of the future, prevent misinformation and rumors. We say that what we are focusing on is creating the reality we live in. That is why constructive journalism could be a solution to build more resilient societies.”

Oleksiy Soldatenko, Programs Director IRMI Ukraine