In 2016, Fondation Hirondelle initiated and supervised the production of a website on the issue of decentralisation in Ukraine as seen through the combined viewpoints of 6 young Ukrainian journalists assisted by 2 non-Ukrainian journalists specialising in the country. Since late 2014, we had been working on developing a project in this country, which is still affected by a devastating information war.
An initial evaluation in Ukraine in late 2014 revealed the need to create a network of media outlets and local journalists in order to produce independent and reliable online, TV and radio news programmes. This project made it possible to strengthen existing media and offer their audiences a range of balanced viewpoints to stimulate dialogue and debate, especially in the areas sometimes overlooked by Kiev.
In spring 2016, we set up a pilot project with support from Fondation Vidrodgenia. The goal was to cover decentralisation, which is a major issue for crisis resolution in the country, through the combined perspectives of 6 young Ukrainian journalists assisted by 2 journalists specialising in the country. Blending points of view in regions often overlooked by national media resulted in true-to-life reporting that reflected the concerns of local people. The videos were broadcast by Ukrainian and Swiss media and were made available online via a dedicated website: ukraine.hirondelle.org