NUJU presented in London a film about the resilience of Ukrainian media

The legendary London War Correspondents' Club hosted an important Ukrainian event – a screening of the documentary film "On the Brink. The Story of a Frontline Newspaper Editor's Resilience" about the importance of the Ukrainian frontline local press. The film, which features Vasyl Myroshnyk, an editor from the frontline and border newspaper Zoria, was created by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. The NUJU presented it this year in June in Kyiv, and now it is being screened for the first time internationally.

Loud applause for the authors and the hero of the film

"I was proud to present the Ukrainian phenomenon, which is one of the priorities of the Union of Journalists, – the local frontline press. With Russia destroying infrastructure, newspapers are becoming the only channel of access to information for thousands of Ukrainians in the frontline areas. In addition, local newspapers with well-known and "native" media brands give a sense of Ukraine and symbolize the unconquered Ukrainian spirit," emphasizes Serhii Tomilenko, head of the NUJU.

Every week, the film's protagonist Vasyl Myroshnyk travels 400 kilometers on rough roads from Kharkiv, where he prints the newspaper, to the border with the aggressor country. He personally delivers the circulation of "Zoria" to each village, which he sells, not gives away, through village shops. He collects new topics of important publications for the next issues. Morally supports fellow countrymen who, despite constant Russian shelling, do not find the strength to leave their homes. Vasyl Myroshnyk was called "Indiana Jones" by one of the British guests of the FrontlineClub screening, who admired the frontline editor's courage and folk sense of humor.

"I also spoke about my wonderful colleagues who publish newspapers for other frontline communities and territories - from Orikhiv, Bakhmut, Kherson, Chernihiv, Sumy region. (The editor-in-chief from Izium, Kostiantyn Hryhorenko, also took part in the event at the British Military Commanders Club, as he is currently visiting his family in London). In total, the NUJU, together with its international partners, has helped to revive 32 local newspapers near the frontline. And every time we use all international platforms to draw attention to Ukraine, to attract help for Ukrainian journalists in these times of exhausting military trials," says Serhii Tomilenko.

"On the Brink" screening and the important event on journalists' safety were organized by the long-time partner of the NUJU, the Justice for Journalists Foundation. During the event, Executive Director of 2402 Foundation Kateryna Serhatskova also presented the foundation's large-scale initiatives to conduct trainings on journalists' safety.

The Foundation has been a long-term partner of the NUJU in monitoring physical attacks on journalists and is now helping to address Russian war crimes against media workers.

"It is impossible not to make a newspaper for the frontline territories today"

"Each trip means 400 kilometers of frontline roads. These are settlements that have long been washed with the blood of civilians. There are a lot of dead in each of them. But today it is impossible not to produce a newspaper for the frontline areas. People want the truth. People love Ukraine," says Vasyl Myroshnyk.

In April 2024, the film crew of the Union of Journalists traveled with him all the way, including to the most remote corners of Zolochiv district, which is surrounded by Russian territory on three sides. The route begins with the Kharkiv printing house Factor-Druk, which was hit by Russian missiles after the film was shot. On the day Vasyl Myroshnyk planned to pick up the print run. As Vasyl Savych notes, many of the people in the film are unfortunately no longer with us: they have become internally displaced or have died. The Zorya editorial office came under fire at least ten times...

The film shows how, in conditions of constant danger, with the editorial office destroyed by the enemy and without stable funding, Vasyl Myroshnyk performs the role of not only editor, but also journalist, proofreader, courier, and driver, demonstrating incredible dedication to his work and readers. The film's authors, director Natalia Shumak and cinematographer Yevhen Cherevko, are convinced that the film proves the importance of the print media, a kind of "base" for journalism, in border areas where there is often no internet or even electricity.

According to Serhii Tomilenko, the NUJU sees the film and the discussion around it as a good opportunity to demonstrate the role and importance of journalism in times of war, and the role and importance of truthful information in the fight against enemy disinformation.

"The Russians see immersing people in a toxic bubble of propaganda as an important part of their offensive. We are resisting this offensive. We support frontline newspapers and greatly admire the courage of those journalists and editors who are reviving their newspapers and, like Vasyl Myroshnyk, risking their lives to deliver newspapers to their readers," says Tomilenko.

He emphasizes that for Ukrainians, a Ukrainian newspaper is one of the symbols of Ukrainian statehood and Ukrainian control over the country's territory.

The movie "On the brink. The story of the unbreakable spirit of a frontline newspaper editor" is not publicly available. In order to encourage discussion and debate about the role of frontline journalism, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine is screening it at conferences and special meetings, to audiences of journalists, military personnel, teachers, and students.

This 42-minute documentary was produced by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine with the support of the Swiss non-profit organization FONDATION HIRONDELLE and the International Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI, Ukraine).

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine is grateful to its international partners for their support of local newspapers at the frontline. In particular, the International Research and Exchanges Council (IREX), the Academy of Ukrainian Press, and the international organization Free Press Unlimited provided assistance to Zoria + Visnyk Bohodukhivshchyny.

Supporting the restoration and stable operation of the media in the frontline and de-occupied territories is among the top priorities of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. With the assistance of the Union, 32 newspapers have been able to resume publishing in these territories with the help of partners, including the largest ones - the Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI) and the Swiss Irondel Foundation.

Journalists from the frontline media receive ongoing support through the network of NUJU Journalistic Solidarity Centers, which is supported by the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO headquarters.