On February 13, renowned journalists, editors, media managers, and media experts visited kmbs during the second Media Day of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize.

"The worst of times, the best of times: How those who tell us about Ukraine and the world are changing" was the theme around which the discussion unfolded throughout the event.

The head of the NV project, Vitaliy Sych, in a conversation with Pavlo Kazarin, outlined media market trends, discussed how quarantine affected the editorial work, and attempted to predict how its transition to Ukrainian would impact profits.

Vakhtang Kipiani, Yevhen Hlibovytsky, Larysa Denysenko, Nataliya Ligachova, and Myroslava Barchuk debated the values of modern journalism, while Myroslava Gongadze shared nuances of working in the USA.

The chief editor of 'Ukrainian Pravda', Sevgil Musaeva, along with leaders of young projects, searched for sustainable business models in the media market, and well-known video bloggers discussed the specifics of working on YouTube.

It is symbolic that the event took place at kmbs, where 3 years ago the idea of a Prize for journalists who contribute to the development of the Ukrainian media environment became a reality thanks to the support of the dean of kmbs, Oleksandr Savruk, and the business school alumni.

Welcoming the participants of Media Day, Oleksandr Savruk explained why he immediately believed in this idea:

"I am very pleased that kmbs is a co-founder of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize. We consider the development of independent journalism to be extremely important for Ukraine, and this event is evidence that we are moving in the right direction. Our business school was and is a place of strength for people who create, not imitate. Such are our graduates, who act as patrons of the Prize and understand the value of independent journalism."

Overall, in the few years of the Prize's existence, it has been supported by 18 members of the kmbs alumni community. During Media Day, Presidents' MBA graduate Anton Artemenko shared what motivates him to be a patron of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize:

"We all came out of kmbs a little different, with a feeling and internal need to contribute to the development of Ukrainian humanities, because it is about our culture, the mental field in which we live. This is what motivates me to support the Georgiy Gongadze Prize — an initiative that influences the development of the Ukrainian media field, implements projects not about the past, but about our common future."

Graduates participate in the development of the Prize's management processes, contribute to the creation of its strategy, participate in the award ceremony of the laureate, and in closed events dedicated to the development of Ukrainian independent journalism.

Photo: Valentyna Naumenko

The Second Media Day of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize gathered the most influential representatives of independent media at kmbs