Talk with ExpertsFOREIGN PRESS USAAlan Herrera

What Emergency Funds and Resources Are Available for Journalists Covering the Ukraine War?

Talk with ExpertsFOREIGN PRESS USAAlan Herrera
What Emergency Funds and Resources Are Available for Journalists Covering the Ukraine War?

War correspondents have the often taxing job of covering stories first-hand from a war zone. News organizations––to say nothing of the general public––depend on these journalists to provide written accounts and valuable photos and film footage from areas scarred by conflict.

In the nearly two weeks since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine, countless people around the globe have been struck by images and videos of a nation that changed overnight, kicking off the gravest humanitarian crisis the European continent has seen in decades.

Journalists have already been attacked in Ukraine, with several journalists reporting that they’d been fired upon by Russian soldiers, drawing the attention of international press safety groups like Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “We therefore call on all parties to the conflict to immediately commit to protecting journalists in the field in accordance with international law,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. These stories are all the more disturbing considering that many journalists on the ground have no wartime experience.

Amid all the chaos, it is vital that journalists have the resources they need to do their jobs properly. Thankfully, there are valuable resources available, including emergency funds, that journalists can use, per The Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), an international network of journalism support and media development organizations.

GMFD has compiled the following resources, which have been organized below.

EMERGENCY AND CRISIS FUNDING

  • The GFMD MediaDev Fundraising Guide has pages both in English and in Ukrainian. The network updates the list every day with new resources, including emergency funding, and offers valuable information for organizations looking to apply for media development or journalism support funding.

  • The nonprofit organization Freedom House, which conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, administers several funds “which offer emergency assistance to organizations and individuals around the world who are under threat because of their human rights work.” Freedom House supports requests for humanitarian assistance and dependent support, equipment replacement in the event any equipment is lost or damaged, medical expenses, legal representation and trial monitoring, temporary relocation, and improvements to physical security of a home or office.

  • The Defending Journalism (DJ) Safety Fund offers immediate support for journalists and is used in cases where a journalist has been killed or rendered incapable of sustaining themselves or their families, a journalist requires immediate protection due to a direct threat, or when a journalist is in need of urgent legal or medical assistance.

EMERGENCY AND CRISIS RESOURCES

  • A list of emergency and crisis resources is available both in English and in Ukrainian.

  • GFMD maintains a page offering digital and logistical support opportunities, including from the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which is offering professional and free legal assistance, such as counseling and representation, to Ukrainian refugees. The independent magazine 

  • Katapult is offering editorial office space for Ukrainian journalists who have had to flee the country. 

  • People in Need, an NGO based in Czechia, can help cover relocation-related costs as well as matters regarding visas and invitations. The team is predominantly based in Donetsk and Luhansk. 

  • Other organizations, like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) can refer organizations to Cloudflare, the American web infrastructure and website security company that provides content delivery network and DDoS mitigation services, in the event of a DDoS attack.

FUNDRAISING AND CROWDFUNDING

  • GMFD maintains a page, available both in English and in Ukrainian, featuring fundraising and crowdfunding initiatives.

  • The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a partnership with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), has established the IFJ Ukraine Safety Fund. “Journalists’ lives are at risk. Those who cover the frontlines need first aid kits, flak jackets and helmets, and medical supplies,” EFJ notes on its website. “Those trapped in towns and cities under fire need safe passage, relocation, and humanitarian assistance.”

  • The Association of Independent Regional Publishers of Ukraine has created a Patreon page to help fund local and independent media affected by the conflict.

  • International Media Support (IMS), an NGO dedicated to protecting media workers, is raising funds to support independent journalists in Ukraine.

  • The Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation and its partners, which include the Danish Newspapers Association and the Finnish Media Federation, has established a fund to support journalists covering the conflict from within the war zone.