Building bridges between authorities and media in Ukraine

More press secretaries, more responsibilities

At the request of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting, the Co-ordinator's office held a series of interactive workshops, which culminated in November 2005, as part of the project "Creating Conditions for Effective Co-operation between Authorities and Mass Media". The workshops were implemented with assistance from the Independent Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters.

Communication between government and media is problematic in Ukraine. "Years ago, only high-level state officials had press secretaries," says Tatiana Lebedeva, a member of the National Council. "Nowadays, although almost every Ministry, company and TV channel has its own press people, they have had little specialized training. That is why we turned to the OSCE Project Co-ordinator."

Elena Lokosha, the Manager of Channel 5 press service and the author of a number of publications on media reform in Ukraine, highlights another issue: "Not only has the number of press secretaries risen significantly, but their functions have diversified.

"Before, press secretaries merely arranged interviews and shielded their bosses from too much media attention. Now, they have numerous tasks to help improve the image of their institution or organization, which requires more professionalism and an increased status."

Upgrading professional skills

The training sessions - held in Lviv, Odessa, Simferopil, Zaporyzhzhya and Kyiv - gave nearly 200 press secretaries and journalists a chance to improve their professional skills, and more importantly, establish sound working relationships.

The sessions focused on writing press releases, organizing press conferences and how to get relevant information from press services.

Trainer Oksana Panasivska, Public Relations Director at the independent Novy Channel, highlights the inaccuracy of stereotyped views of press secretaries. "Their tasks are not limited to writing press releases and acting as a barrier between their employer and journalists. There is much more that press secretaries can and should do to improve and maintain a positive image of their organization."

Another trainer, Zoya Kazanzhi, stresses that press secretaries and journalists are not competitors in a 'hide-and-seek' information game: "Co-operation is vital in ensuring public access to information."

Working together

Channel 5's Lokosha praised the training initiative: "I met many people face-to-face whom I had previously known only by phone. The day after the session, Channel 5 journalists received noticeably more press releases from other media outlets."

To promote co-operation between the two groups, the training sessions addressed common problems. "Journalists should understand that press service staff might not have all the information," says Lokosha. "Or, if they have it, they often must clear it before letting it go to press.

"On the other hand, press secretaries should understand that journalists work under tight deadlines."

The training gave participants an opportunity to learn from respected and experienced national experts such as Alexander Martynenko, the press secretary of Ukraine's former President, Leonid Kuchma.

"He taught us about maintaining the trust and respect of journalists in difficult circumstances. He also showed us that press secretary work is not done for journalists or organizations, but for the public," says Lokosha.

New outlook improves relations

Some participants came away with new ideas on how to improve the flow of information. Ivanka Popovych, a press secretary for the Lvivska regional governor, succeeded in removing the requirement for journalist accreditation. Now, any journalist can freely enter the Lvivska regional administration building with only a valid press card. Popovych also plans to open a press centre in the building.

The willingness of both press secretaries and journalists to learn, get to know each other and improve working relations reveals the true value of the project. "I began to see journalists through different eyes," says Popovych.

The project was part of a larger joint programme of the Project Co-ordinator and the authorities to promote openness and transparency in Ukraine.