Where Shots Ring Out and Stories Are Told: Women at War

On November 7, the Regional Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation "Dialogue Eastern Europe" held a panel discussion "Where Shots Ring Out and Stories Are Told: Women at War." The event was dedicated to discussing significant aspects of war coverage by women working in conflict zones, as well as stories of women who become part of war reporting.

"History is being written in Kurakhove, not in Washington. This, in fact, briefly explains why I love frontline reporting and what we are currently documenting. Something truly historic is happening in Ukraine," shared Diana Butsko, journalist of Hromadske.ua, about her work.

Maria Avdeeva, a strategic communications expert and journalist, emphasized the importance of showcasing the resilience of ordinary people: "My focus is on the stories of civilians who live near the frontline or have survived occupation. I think it's important to show what people are going through and their daily resilience."

Maja Sever, President of the European Federation of Journalists, stressed the importance of maintaining professionalism and objectivity in their work despite emotional challenges: "It's really hard to talk about war and the suffering of people, and we can show emotion and empathy. But regardless of whether it is war or peace, we must remain journalists." According to Rebecca Barth, an ARD journalist, foreign journalists found it easier to remain neutral and objective in the first year of the full-scale war, but over time it has become increasingly difficult: "Because society is changing, and it's becoming more painful."

Andriy Kulykov, head of the Commission on Journalistic Ethics, also shared his view on the necessity of objectivity in the work of war reporters, stating, "We cannot be neutral, but we can and must be objective." He also emphasized the importance of avoiding unnecessary gender focus when covering women's stories in war: "In most cases, there's no need to emphasize that a woman is a woman. It's enough to give her name and surname."

Supporting this idea, NV journalist and project manager at the NGO "Women in Media," Oleksandra Gorchynska, highlighted the danger of stereotypical approaches in portraying women in war: "The media often resorts to stereotypical phrases and images. For example, headlines like, 'Delicate beauty picks up a weapon and shows how to strike back at the enemy.' This plays on stereotypical ideas of a woman's gender role, contrasting her 'delicate' nature with the 'harsh' reality."

Journalist Nataliia Ishchenko (Gumba) shared her thoughts on widespread stereotypes in depicting women who have lost loved ones at the frontline: "Unfortunately, there's a stereotype here that women whose loved ones died on the front are weak and vulnerable. I would like to see more positive stories in the media about these women, so that it becomes an example and motivation for others."

At the end of the discussion, moderator and project coordinator of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Olena Davlikanova, presented the collection "100+ Stories of Women and Girls in the War between Russia and Ukraine" and emphasized that truthful and unbiased coverage of women's involvement in war will contribute to forming a more realistic image of women in Ukrainian society.