We launched the second training program for Ukrainian media professionals. Fifty-two journalists, editors, and media managers from across Ukraine and abroad participated in the ten-day educational course held from October to November 2024
The Kyiv Independent J-School 2.0 is a training program for Ukrainian media professionals aimed at enhancing their skills in English-language reporting and media management. The program included two five-day study sessions, featuring lectures from a general track and three specialized tracks in editing, reporting, and media management.
As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine continues and war fatigue sets in, there is an increasing need to amplify Ukraine’s voice internationally. This training program was designed to elevate the volume of quality news from Ukraine on the global stage.
Learn more about the mission behind J-School 2.0 in our op-ed by Daryna Shevchenko, CEO of the Kyiv Independent.
The training program was devided into two sessions of five days each, with a three-week break in between for rest and energy renewal.
Five days of general track lectures, mandatory for all participants, and five days of specialized tracks tailored to participants' professional areas: reporting, editing, and media management.
Tours of local and international editorial offices, screenings of documentary films followed by discussions, and various other events, including informal meetings with trainers and program experts.
We offered both formats of involvement, including 'auditor' status for online participants. Auditors had access to lectures and materials and could ask questions, but they did not compete for internships or pitch their projects.
We covered accommodation and travel expenses for those who came to Kyiv to attend the training in person.
Three participants successfully collaborated on a story project with The Kyiv Independent, while four others completed a month-long internship with our editorial team, producing high-quality news stories.
Check out what's in the training program.
Check out the experienced international journalists, editors, and media managers, as well as invited experts from leading media organizations who have trained at J-School 2.0
Olga Rudenko, one of the Kyiv Independent’s co-founders, was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine’s May 2022 edition as one of its Next Generation Leaders. She is also a recipient of the December 2022 Women of Europe award for its “Woman in Action” category.
Daryna Shevchenko has a decade of experience in media management, training, and consulting. She is also a partner at Jnomics Media consultancy.
With nearly a decade of journalism experience, Toma Istomina was a staff writer at the Kyiv Post before becoming the paper’s lifestyle and features editor. She is one of the Kyiv Independent’s co-founders.
Lili Bivings has worked with the Peace Corps in Ukraine, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, the Kyiv Post, and Human Rights Watch. She has a graduate degree from Columbia University.
Oleksiy Sorokin, a co-founder of the Kyiv Independent, was on Forbes’ “30 Under 30" list in 2022. He was a political journalist at the Kyiv Post until 2021.
Zakhar Protsiuk is a co-founder and managing editor at The Fix Media, which focuses on the European publishing sector. He is an associate partner at Jnomics Media.
Tomáš Bella is a co-founder and the Chief Digital Officer of Denník N, an independent Slovak daily newspaper. Previously, he served as editor-in-chief of Slovakia’s most popular news site, sme.sk, and was the CEO of Piano, the world’s largest subscription software provider.
Francis Farrell is a winner of the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award’s “Young Reporter” category for war correspondents. He has reported from Ukraine’s front-line regions since the start of Russia’s full-scale war.
Danylo Mokryk’s investigation into the deliberate murders of Ukrainian children by Russian soldiers during Russia’s war in Ukraine was shortlisted for the Mezhyhirya Fest Investigative Journalism Award.
Masha Lavrova is a TikTok producer at the Kyiv Independent. She honed her digital marketing and PR skills while working in Australia and freelancing for various global companies. Masha also studied directing and producing for film and TV.
Brooke Manning has been the community manager at the Kyiv Independent since 2022 and has helped grow its membership from around 6,000 to over 12,000 members. She previously worked as a field organizer on the 2020 U.S. campaign trail and as a legislative intern in Congress.
Yerbolat Bekbau is the head of marketing at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining, he led marketing operations at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, working with more than 20 newsrooms across Central and South Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, and the Balkans.
Veronika is an award-winning Hungarian journalist with more than 20 years of experience. She works in the management team of the leading independent Slovak news outlet Dennik N, and was previously the founding editor-in-chief of the Hungarian independent online news outlet Telex. She has a PhD in media studies and teaches journalism courses at Budapest's ELTE University.
A Ukrainian journalist with Politico Europe, Veronika Melkozerova started at Kyiv Post in 2015 and has freelanced for international outlets like OCCRP, The Atlantic, Cosa Story, Vice, and WSJ. She interned at the Dug Hammarskjold Fund for Journalists in 2022, covering the United Nations.
Aaron Sharp has been an editor of the national desk at The Guardian in London since 2022. He has over 10 years of journalism experience covering major global events, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.K. elections, and the Gaza War.
Julia Tymoshenko is a Ukrainian journalist and communications professional, as well as a prominent social media voice for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale war.
Michael Collett-White is an editor at Reuters, overseeing coverage on Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Russia’s war against Ukraine. With Reuters for nearly three decades, he has covered the conflicts in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, and Ukraine. Collett-White won the Reuters Editor of the Year award in 2015.
Anna Myroniuk, a co-founder of the Kyiv Independent, is an editor at the investigative arm of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service, Schemes. A Chevening Scholar, she was the 2023 European Press Prize winner, the 2023 #AllForJan Award winner, the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Media & Marketing list honoree, and the 2022 European Press Prize’s investigative category’s runner-up.
Patrice Stankavich has over 25 years of experience across international peace and security, human resources, healthcare, and corporate leadership. For the past seven years, she’s worked at The Halo Trust and the OSCE in Ukraine, contributing to peace and security efforts.
Chris York is the news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post and spent nearly a decade at HuffPost U.K.
Daria Shulzhenko is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she focuses on telling human stories. Prior to this, she worked as a lifestyle reporter at The Kyiv Post until November 2021.
Olena Zashko is a videographer at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked at the Suspilne Kultura documentary unit and has also contributed as a journalist for Hromadske.
Yevheniia Motorevska is a Ukrainian investigative journalist with over eight years of experience. She currently leads the Kyiv Independent's War Crimes Investigations Unit. Previously, she served as editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske and headed the video department at the investigative journalism agency Slidstvo.Info.
Alisa Yurchenko is an investigative journalist and editor with over 10 years of experience. She joined the Kyiv Independent in 2024, having previously worked at Bihus.Info as an editor, journalist, and presenter. A multiple award winner, Alisa also trains journalists and activists in open-source intelligence.
Jakub Parusinski is the director of KI Insights, a research center backed by the Kyiv Independent. Parusinski is a former CEO of Kyiv Post.
Yana Prots is an intern on the business desk of the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a journalist at the NGO Center of United Actions and as a social media editor at Hromadske media. Yana holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and completed a year as an exchange student at the University of Zurich. Now, she is pursuing a master’s degree in International Finance and Investment at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Yelyzaveta Sekretarenko works as a television editor. With experience in media production, she focuses on storytelling and covering human-centered stories.
Yuliia Taradiuk is a Ukrainian journalist and a newsroom intern at the Kyiv Independent. She has been working with Lutsk-based misto.media, telling stories of Ukrainian fighters for the "All are gone to the front" project. She has experience as a freelance culture reporter, and a background in urbanism and activism, working for multiple Ukrainian NGOs.
Yuliia holds B.A. degree in English language and literature from Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, she studied in Germany and Lithuania.
