Date:
Location:
Tanya Kozyreva, Murrey Marder Nieman Fellow in Watchdog Journalism, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
Taras Prokopyshyn, Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
Ilya Timtchenko, Master in Public Policy candidate, Belfer Young Leader Student Fellow, and founder of Ukraine Caucus, Harvard Kennedy School
Moderated by Emily Channell-Justice, Director, Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University
In Person and Online
Register for Zoom | Watch on YouTube
Abstract
Russia’s war in Ukraine began eight years prior to the full-scale invasion launched on February 24, 2022, but its information war began even before the Euromaidan revolution that triggered Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia-backed separatism in the Donbas. Disinformation and propaganda have long been in Russia’s arsenal and have served as effective tools to skew public opinion and manipulate the population.
Ukrainian journalists and journalists in Ukraine have battled on the information front for decades, challenging corruption and fighting disinformation. Their battle changed drastically with the launch of Russia’s full-scale war and the violence and devastation it wrought. Ukrainian journalists face a new intensity of challenges such as mental health struggles, electricity shortages, internet outages, and direct threats to their lives. Yet, they carry on in their mission to inform the world about the situation in Ukraine, knowing that truth and knowledge play an immeasurable role in Ukraine’s success in this war and its future as a strong and engaged democracy.
Join us for a panel discussion with two Nieman Fellows from Ukraine—Tanya Kozyreva and Taras Prokopyshyn—who offer first-hand experience with Ukraine’s media landscape and personal stories of journalists who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country and for truth. Former Kyiv Post editor Ilya Timtchenko, now a graduate student in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, offers his perspective on the long-term trends in Ukrainian journalism as well as how Russia’s information war is faring today.
About the Speakers
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Tanya Kozyreva is a Murrey Marder Nieman Fellow in Watchdog Journalism at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. An investigative reporter based in Kyiv, Ukraine, her work focuses on geopolitics and high-level corruption worldwide. She previously spent three years at BuzzFeed News, where she examined the shady business dealings of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, and was a member of the FinCEN Files project, a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist in international reporting. She also worked on the Pandora Papers, the groundbreaking investigation into global corruption conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Kozyreva has reported on the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military conflict in eastern Ukraine for the journalist-owned Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske. She also co-founded posipaky.info, a website that helps track the business interests of members of parliament. For the Ukrayinska Pravda news website, she covered the 2016 presidential race in the U.S. and conducted a series of cross-border investigations about questionably sourced funds and offshore accounts used by Ukrainian politicians to pay American lobbyists. As the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine started, she covered the war for The Telegraph, Sky News, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The New York Times. @TanyaKozyreva |
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Taras Prokopyshyn is publisher and CEO of The Ukrainians Media, an independent media company in Lviv, Ukraine, focusing on high-quality, long-form journalism. He has transformed a volunteer-driven blog into a media ecosystem consisting of four media outlets, including a print magazine, a storytelling and podcast studio and educational projects. He is an ambassador of the reader-revenue approach and has launched one of the most successful audience membership programs in Ukraine. Prokopyshyn received the International News Media Association’s 30 Under 30 Award for outstanding leadership and was shortlisted for the Gongadze Prize for innovation in the Ukrainian media market.
He is studying how to build sustainable independent media companies that provide high-quality journalism in developing countries facing political uncertainty, corruption and low levels of trust and economic prosperity. @ProkopyshynUA |
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Ilya Timtchenko is a Master in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is currently a research assistant for the Future of Diplomacy Project and the Intelligence Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. During the summer of 2022, Ilya interned for the Executive Office at the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis think tank. Ilya’s interests include transatlantic security, Eastern Europe, NATO, diplomacy, and countering Russian disinformation. Before studying at Harvard, Ilya worked as a journalist in Ukraine since 2014. As an editor at Kyiv Post, a leading English-language newspaper in Ukraine, Ilya trained and managed many journalists who are now at the newly-established award-winning Kyiv Independent. As the Head of Ukraine at REDD Intelligence, an online information platform that provides intelligence and data on emerging market corporates, Ilya spearheaded the company’s presence in Ukraine. Ilya has been published in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Atlantic Council, among others. Ilya received his bachelor’s degree from Gordon College with a double major in international affairs and economics. |
Moderated by Emily Channell-Justice, Director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University.
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