Kyiv Post editors speak on unique reporting of Ukraine conflict
COLUMBIA — Diving into freezing rivers to retrieve documents dumped there by a former president isn’t usually part of a journalist’s job description.
But unique situations often arise while reporting on Ukraine’s conflict, said Kyiv Post editors Brian Bonner and Katya Gorchinskaya, who were in Columbia to receive one of seven Missouri Honor Medals for Distinguished Service in Journalism awarded by the Missouri School of Journalism. The two spoke at 2 p.m. Tuesday in MU’s Fisher Auditorium. Through two dictatorships, a revolution and now an ongoing war, Ukraine’s only English-language paper has operated for 19 years as an editorially independent newspaper in Ukraine.
Deputy chief editor Gorchinskaya showed photos of people diving into a freezing river and dodging ice chunks to retrieve documents that former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych dumped into the Dnipro River in February. Gorchinskaya said the former president abandoned evidence of embezzlement and “black lists” of active journalists among other incriminating evidence before fleeing the country.
Even among the difficulties of working for an independent paper in a harsh environment, Bonner explained that keeping integrity is essential. He has been fired and re-hired twice by the same person for deciding to report on issues he thought were important.
In one of these instances, Bonner published a story against his publisher’s order to cancel it due to outside pressure. His publisher called him immediately the next morning and fired him, Bonner said. Gorchinskaya led a strike of the staff of the Kyiv Post until he was re-hired, Bonner said.
Bonner said he knew it was a lose-lose situation.
“I decided to answer to my conscience and the people,” he said. “I could have kept my job that way, if I’d just killed the story. But then I would have lost the respect of my staff and the readers.”
According to Reporters Without Borders 2013 World Press Freedom Index, Ukraine is the 126th worst on the list of 179 countries based on the amount of violence against journalists, governmental transparency and media independence. The U.S. is 32 on the list.
Gorchinskaya also showed a list of tips on how to stay safe while reporting in a war zone. It included “never wear camouflage,” and “stay away from soldiers, they’re targets.” She also chuckled at journalists’ early precaution of wearing bicycle helmets, which they now realize isn’t very effective in a war zone.
Bonner and Gorchinskaya said that, surprisingly, the best way to report in such a divided culture and during turmoil is to make sure all sides are being heard, regardless of personal bias.
Throughout the revolution and war, journalists strive to “leave feelings at home” and dig into the grit of both sides, Gorchinskaya said.
“Journalists are human, too,” she said. “It’s impossible not to take a side.”
Supervising editor is Elise Schmelzer.