The largest specialized media event in the country, International Novomedia Forum, with all types of journalism represented – printed press, radio, TV, Internet – took place on November 15–17 this year at the Ukrainian House in Kiev. The first forum in this format was held in 2011. Since then, the event has been gaining momentum, aiming to be not only bright and memorable but, above all, useful.

"Mass media, journalism are social types of activity,” says Chairman of Novomedia Forum Organizing Committee Ruslan Kukharchuk. “Doctors have a golden rule: First of all, do not harm a patient. In their turn, journalists as social workers who interact with various social groups should have a similar golden rule – not to cause harm by the media content they produce for the air, newspaper pages, radio, and online publications.”

Although the Forum program changes every year, it is unchangeably based on practical sessions, master classes, discussion panels on issues topical for the media environment and creative contests. 

Workshops

The Forum offers a number of workshops for professional growth and experience exchange held by famous specialists. The workshops discuss how the printing press can survive, how to create a successful online media, how to cover political topics and make info graphics, how to write biographies and how to become an anchorman. This year the accent of the program moved to the search of themes that can respond to the most urgent questions of journalists and media managers.

“On the first day I liked a thesis from online media editors that it is not the theme that is important but its high quality presentation. It means that professionalism must set the format,” says the forum participant Maksim Balaklitskiy, journalist, and assistant professor of V.N. Karazin Kharkov National University.

The panels were held in two parallel sessions, which enabled the Forum to involve the maximum possible number of speakers. 45 top professionals presented at the Forum this year.

They included famous journalists, anchormen and editors of political and business media: Andrey Kulikov (ICTV), Sergey Dorofeev (Inter), Mykola Veresen, Nataliya Ligachova (Telekritika), Katerina Venzhik (Delo.ua), Irina Yemets (Viva! Biography), Elena Skachko (Edinstvennaya), Artem Lozinskiy (Vesti Mass Media), Iskander Khisamov (Vesti. Reporter) Tatyana Tsimbal (Perby Natsionalny (First National) TV Channel), Anton Nikitin (Inter), Anna Panova (Inter), Andrey Zhigulin (5 Kanal (5th Channel)), Andrey Kolodiuk (Divan.tv) and others.

Discussion Panels

In addition to professionalism, media environment requires responsibility. Particularly, the issue is about ethnic content of editorial materials. Issues on popularizing timeless values in contemporary mass media were discussed at specific discussion panels. They included issues on how to present family, charity, morality, faith, church themes in an accessible and interesting manner and what place they must take on air and in newspapers.

The journalist of “Shuster Life. Adrenalin” TV program Nataliya Klykova-Volianiuk said the following in this context: “For how long will you manage to hold out if every day you have to make a deal with your own conscience even getting the highest salary? For how long will you manage to hold out?! You will not be able to work.” 

Is it necessary to present more moral values in mass media? It is a rhetoric question for all participants. Issues on how not to lose a moment to make such material, present it in an interesting manner without losing ratings and conscience are still being discussed.

“For the sake of an instant stinging word, one should not neglect these timeless values. It is irrational and incorrect,” Iskander Khasimov, anchorman of the GIC channel, admitted.

The Forum is aimed not only to answer professional questions, but also to serve as a platform for a professional discussion among media workers.

“As I was listening to other presenters, I heard things that I don’t necessarily agree with, ideas that I will have to think about. But this is exactly the way I want people to feel when they are listening to me. I mean that here I was exposed to information that I found interesting, I received an impulse to reflect.”

Young Journalists

A separate section was devoted to young journalists, those who will create the new media tomorrow. Children’s studios presented their projects and were awarded for the victory in the video contest “Warning! Children!”

The Forum organization was highly assessed by the speakers. The anchorman of It Concerns everyone from Inter Sergey Dorofeev said: “This event is wonderful because of the values you bring. Generally, I am pleasantly surprised by a great number of volunteers, i.e. by those who share these values with the organizers and try to promote them. Well, if we promote such values all together, I will become an optimist rather than a realist.”

“This is an excellent platform for media workers to meet and exchange experience. It is important that journalists and the audience come together at one place, where they can have a personal contact and build a relationship.”

Besides, the first Novomedia Awards ceremony awarding outstanding journalists and editorial offices took place under the auspices of this year’s Forum. Nine best journalists and editorial offices received awards for high quality materials popularizing timeless values. 

International Novomedia Forum is an annual event for representatives of all types of mass media from Ukraine and other countries. Novomedia Association has been organizing these professional meetings since 2004.

Valeriya Sergeyeva, International Novomedia Forum press center