On November 15th, professors and students of the Faculty FPSC of SumDU participated in a roundtable discussion on “Information Policy and Border Security: Efficiency and Challenges.” The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine – Sumy Regional Organization of the NUJU, Sumy State University and the Department of Journalism and Philology of SumDU organized the event.
The participants in the roundtable discussion included representatives of the media community of the Sumy region, government officials, scholars, and future media workers. The event aims to outline urgent problems and find mutual solutions to confront the challenges of today.
During the event, the participants discussed the issues of quality public information, monopolization of the information space, the work of local media on the border, problems and challenges related to the delivery of the printed press to the border areas, and the resistance of local broadcasters to the information occupation.
Alla Fedoryna, Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism and Philology at SumDU, Honored Journalist of Ukraine, Larysa YAKUBENKO, representative of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting in Sumy region, and representatives of regional publications in Sumy region made presentations.
Volodymyr SADIVNYCHYI, the Head of the Department of Journalism and Philology and the Head of the Sumy Regional Organization of the NUJU, told the audience about fake news spreading in Sumy region during the full-scale invasion and ways to protect themselves from the influence of false information.
At the end of the event, organizers presented honours and awards to journalists and editorial staff.
Oleksandr KACHURA, the People's Deputy of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to the media workers of the Sumy region. He noted:
– – "Information is what helps any army and any nation win. Our journalists are truly heroic. Even during the occupation, they published newspapers in the border areas, informing the locals that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were defending our territory and repelling the enemy. It confirms that the information front is as important as the military front. Journalism is not a job but a ministry and a life calling."
– "The topic raised today is crucial for our university. Sumy State University is an educational and scientific outpost in Sumy region. We have a speciality called "Journalism," and I would really want the thoughts, ideas, and technologies voiced today to become material for the training of our students," noted Vasyl KARPUSHA, the Rector of SumDU.
The roundtable discussion was an excellent opportunity for the journalism students of the Faculty FPSC of SumDU to communicate with editors and journalists of local media, to learn more about the peculiarities of media work in the border area, and to feel a part of the media community of Sumy region.
