On 2-4 November, hundreds of media experts from all over the globe assembled in “Dim Kino” (the Cinema House) in Kyiv to attend the annual International Novomedia Forum. The event’s central topic was “Professional leap and rapid development in a media profession”. The Forum’s traditional tagline is “New Media and Lasting Values”.

“We sincerely hope that the platform we are creating with this Forum is an excellent and convenient place for people who support lasting Christian values to learn some professional skills. On the other hand, those who are already competent professionals in the field can in turn adopt the correct values from the believers,” commented the President of Novomedia Association Ruslan Kukharchuk on the goals of the Forum.

100 best photos from Forum-2012

Official video report

Other speakers were in agreement with this point of view. One of them, an Orthodox Christian televangelist Andrey Tkachev said, “We are living in an information-based society where tomorrow depends on who says what to whom and in what manner. I have four children, and I want them to live in a civilized world.”

At the same time, Director of the Catholic Media-Center Pavel Vyshkovsky stated, “Today, mass media only offers us primitive scandals. Unfortunately, such material is a lot more common than, for example, stories about large families who are able to survive and raise 8-10 children in our country, even if the latter is a more interesting and engaging topic”.

However, hundreds of attendees did not just focus on these ethical issues. Much of the time was spent on professional training.

Professional Leap 

This year, the organizers had the following goal: the Forum should help its participants make a “professional leap”. In order to achieve this, morethan 40 speakers over three days shared their knowledge and skills with the attendees. These speakers represented all types of mass media (TV, newspapers, radio, web projects), of both Christian and secular orientation.

The television block was very saturated. Deputy Director of TVi channel Natalya Katerynchuk and Yuliya Bankovaya, a journalist working for the same channel taught the audience about the operation of the news-room and the work of a TV reporter. On Saturday, news anchors from “Inter” channel Anastasiya Daugule and Vladimir Andrievskiy shared their experience of working in informative journalism as well as the engaging on-air work. Vladimir Zavadyuk (“X-factor”, “Ukraine Has Talent”) and Alisa Yakubovich (“Breakfast with 1+1”) talked about main “ingredients” of entertainment projects, while Vitaliy Yermak (“Money”, 1+1) imparted his knowledge of investigative journalism on TV.

All of the workshops began with short reports from the speakers; the rest of the time was devoted to question-and-answer sessions with the audience. Thus, Forum participants had the opportunity to learn exactly what they wanted and needed, while the speakers could learn more about the audience and understand its life and interests.

“The Forum is of great help in selecting talented, high-quality professionals. Thank you very much for your work!” said Anastasiya Daugule after her speech, showing appreciation for the organizers.

100 best photos from Forum-2012

Official video report

One of the most memorable speeches was by the President of Gala Media Group PavloShilko. He spoke about the modern media business, radio, and television, as well as personal values and religious faith. “DJ Pasha” noted that today’s media lacks professionals and stressed that a good specialist needs to be a multitasker. He also reminded the audience that, despite the political environment, one should not forget about faith, while commercial mass media should also keep their social mission in mind. “You can’t earn all the money in the world, so you should help people while you have the opportunity to do so,” said Shilko.

The conference for Internet specialists had its own block during the Forum, which was devoted to website development, brand promotion, as well as analysis of the more effective ways in which media professionals can use the tools of the World Wide Web. A super-session took place on the big Forum stage, where web specialists and journalists discussed the influence of social networks on the work of the media and social processes in general.

Student Block and Awards

A special student club meeting also took place in the Novomedia Forum format. It was essentially a workshop led by the “Inter” news anchorwoman Anastasiya Daugule on the topic of presenting religious material in secular mass media. Tatyana Salo, student of Lviv National University named after Ivan Franko, related, “For me, the Forum was a very important event, as it allowed me to learn a lot of new things and talk to famous journalists who can really serve as a good role model for people new to the industry.”

One of the most significant Forum events was the award ceremony for secular TV programs, which systematically popularize lasting values in their projects. Among those who received the honorary diplomas were programs of STB and First National channels. National Artist of Ukraine and host of the program “Faith. Hope. Love.” Tatyana Tsymbal said during the ceremony, “This award is very important for us! After all, the point of our program is to make people who need help be heard. This distinction means that they are indeed seen and heard.”

The last day of the Forum brought the finals of the video competition “Value Life”. Five finalists in different nominations received awards, while Roman Gural, the author of the best video, on Kenyan children, took home the main prize of the contest – iPad2. Winners of the Christian web site contest also received various prizes. 

The Forum also became the platform for a landmark decision; Journalist Association “Novomedia” voted unanimously in favor of changing its status to “international”. New members of the organization received international journalist plastic IDs.

Numerous people contributed to the organization of this massive event. Remarkably, all of them were volunteers who worked for free, because they shared the vision of the organizers. “I support the moral principles promoted by Novomedia Association. I would like to contribute to their work, that’s why I’m here!” said Martha Goncharenko, one of the staff members. Other volunteers noted that the Forum was a great place to receive valuable professional experience.

Ruslan Kukharchuk, head of the organization committee of the Forum, also noted, “When 40-50 people volunteer to help organize such an event, this must mean that it somehow motivates and encourages them. I believe that the understanding that we can change mass media for the better is precisely the incentive that keeps our volunteers and the rest of our precious team together. We can and will integrate lasting values into the modern system of secular mass media.”

International Novomedia Forum is the most important professional platform of its format in Ukraine. As a reminder, Novomedia Association has been holding specialized events for secular and religious journalists since 2004.

Forum-2012 partners: The Media Project, “Skimens” church, “Vozrozhdeniye” center, “Hallelujah” church, FitCurves company, “Emmanuel” Association, civic movement “Vsi Razom!” 

100 best photos from Forum-2012

Official video report