New media outlets in the rebel-held Ukrainian city of
Donetsk are taking part in a communications war to get out their pro-Russian
message. DW’s Kitty Logan visits the unrecognized state’s mouthpiece.
Over the past year, the rebel leadership in Donetsk has
solidified its grip on power, developing its own state – the self-proclaimed
Donetsk People’s Republic – and a remarkably efficient local infrastructure
independent from the rest of Ukraine.
An important part of this developing ‘republic’ is an
entirely new media scene. Gone are Ukrainian government broadcasters, their
buildings seized in the early days of the rebel takeover, the channels no
longer available to a regional audience in rebel-held areas.
Instead a variety of fresh media outlets have sprung up
– a pro-rebel news agency, an official media center to host press conferences
for the rebel leadership, a ‘state-run’ newspaper and a number of pro-Russian,
pro-rebel TV and radio stations.
One of those is Novorossia Today – named after the rebel
ideal to create a ‘new Russia,’ based on old borders that reach into Ukraine.
It employs around 50 staff, including reporters, presenters, cameramen and
studio technicians.
Georgy Morozov heads the television output of Novorossia
Today’s website. This is a completely new line of work for him. Until recently,
he worked as an analyst in Donetsk and had no experience of journalism. His
career change came about when the conflict in eastern Ukraine began, just over
a year ago.
“When the war started, I couldn’t stay indifferent to
the situation,” he told DW. “I started out as a regular militiaman, but then
they found a better use for me. Just like a man with a rifle, I could have a
purpose.”
Getting the message out
Novorossia Today’s website reaches out to a local and
global audience, in five languages, including English and German. It was born
out of a hybrid conflict where the information war has proved just as critical
as military battles.
“I don’t remember who said this, but who owns the
information, owns the world,” says Morozov. “Information is important and
necessary. We give this information to people, starting with those who live in
our (Donetsk and Luhansk) republics, but also reaching those in Ukraine and the
whole world. Yes, it is weapon. It’s a real weapon and each side is using it as
best as they can.”
Novorossia Today is self-evidently a pro-rebel news
outlet, with an agenda that focuses on news coming out of the self-proclaimed
republic in Donetsk, with sources within its leadership. But Morozov says that
despite the political pressures that go with working in a conflict environment,
he wants to keep his reporting neutral.
“As a newbie journalist, who already experienced a lot
this past year, it’s very important for me to give information honestly and
objectively, to obey the rules of journalism, not to lie in my reports,” he
says. “And to share information as a distant observer. So I’m not taking any
sides.”
The Novorossia Today website is slick and professional,
with a breaking news ticker and pages with local and international stories. “We
don’t just focus on war,” says Morozov. “We show school life, the humanitarian
situation, sports events. For us it’s very important to show the whole picture
of life in our Republic.”
The channel broadcasts news bulletins on terrestrial TV
as well as online, from a small but well-equipped studio, complete with a new
teleprompter and green screen. There is a radio station too, with the slogan
‘Novorossia rocks.’
Bringing young, professional people such as Morozov on
board has surely helped to boost those rebel media outlets. He, for one, wants
to change the image that the outside world has of pro-Russia rebels in Donetsk.
“The majority are fed with information from Ukrainian and western media that
we’re all terrorists here, that we shell ourselves, that we are here all
Russian terrorist forces, but it has nothing to do with reality,” he says.
The fact that the two sides do not see eye to eye on
media coverage of the war in Ukraine comes as no surprise.
There are often
bitter exchanges on social media and there have been tit-for-tat restrictions
on Russian journalists in Ukraine and visa versa in rebel-held areas. But the
rebel leadership in Donetsk is learning fast about how to handle its media
image and messages, not just locally, but also internationally. The Ukrainian
government is trying to do all it can to match that effort.
Source: Novorossia Today 29-06-2015
