After only the second
day of interning in Kyiv, I’ve already begun to brainstorm ideas and write
articles.
The learning process of
getting out of the comfort zone and discovering new places is very important to
me. After being an exchange student in the U.S. for a year and part of a high
school publication there, I discovered the passion for studying and working
with people from diverse cultural backgrounds while raising awareness on the
situation in Ukraine within the international context. During studies at Abu
Dhabi, I aspire to develop a more comprehensive understanding of issues in both
Ukraine and the UAE in order to connect them on a global scale.
Coming to Kyiv is an
important step to immerse myself in the news coverage of Ukraine and be able to
convey the situation better outside the country. Experiencing the journalistic
environment is extremely important when news coverage plays such a crucial
role. Russia’s war against Ukraine has not only destabilized the country,
bringing death and blood, but also has shown that the ability to present events
quickly yet with accuracy is one of the crucial factors that shape public
opinion.
Additionally, the
international community of scholars and students is interested in reading news
directly from Ukraine in English. I have heard many complaints from my
classmates about the lack of war coverage in English coming directly from
Ukrainian journalists.
As a history major, I am
interested in film and documentaries as another way of presenting stories and
adding emotional hint. I would like to focus on issues of ethnicity and the
journalist’s role in conflicts. I consider writing and reporting to be powerful
tools in uncovering the truth of events and raising awareness for people from
different corners of the world.
While opinion in the
West is publicly similar – support of Ukraine and condemnation of Russia – the
Middle Eastern regions as well as Asia most of the time waver. Moreover, many
students from Europe are concerned how I receive information about the
situation and whether Ukrainian media is trustworthy.
To address their
concerns, I hope to share stories that I receive from people living in the
easternmost oblasts of Luhansk and Donetsk. My attempt is to emphasize that the war with Russia will
continue having military, economic, political, psychological and cultural
components. And the topic of my conversation today is not to wonder, but to
actually have a clear understanding of things and how the war instigated by
Russia is going to continue.
The Kyiv Post is a
step toward enriching my interests, to see professionals in action and evolve
with the city itself, being one of the main centers in covering the events, and
communicate the changes within the country not only to Ukrainians but to the
international community as well.
Kyiv Post writer
Valeriya Golovina can be reached at [email protected].
