With Ukraine amid a full-scale war, journalists must navigate complex ethical dilemmas – how to cover sensitive topics, communicate with the military, balance speed and accuracy, and report on gory assaults. How are they doing it?

We talked about the work of journalists during the war with Otar Dovzhenko, chair of the Independent Media Council and media expert, and Olha Kyrylenko, a journalist for major Ukrainian news outlet Ukrayinska Pravda who regularly works in hot spots.

The main challenge for war reporters – balancing personal feelings, civic duty and professional standards

Media expert Otar Dovzhenko believes that journalists’ main challenge is balancing civic feelings, human feelings, and professional duties and standards.

“In the first months [of the full-scale war], complying with the journalistic standards was impossible. People needed time to reflect, process it, get used to the new reality, and then return to the standards,” Dovzhenko says.

At the same time, the war dictates requirements and restrictions. For example, there are orders from the Commander-in-Chief about what journalists cannot write about. The limitations often contradict journalists’ inclinations.

“The journalist passes by the place where the rocket just hit. Their professional instincts make them immediately go to film and publish it. They want to show Russian crimes. It makes sense to them,” Dovzhenko says. However, Ukrainian authorities prohibit immediate publicising of the rocket attacks’ details as public details could be used by the Russian troops for a new, more precise strike.

As explained by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, 80% of intelligence information Russian troops receive is from open sources. Such messages allow them to adjust attacks toward Ukrainian settlements and military facilities.

Fact-checking information and balancing speed with reliability

Recently, there was a situation when a video of the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war appeared on social networks.

“Most news outlets immediately distributed this video without any restrictions. Then they hid the most terrible part, but what is there to hide when a person is brutally killed on the screen?”, Dovzhenko says.

At that time, there were several versions of the soldier’s identity. By conventional journalistic standards, death of a person should be reported only if there is confirmation of the identity and if the relatives already know what happened. But in this case the media could not wait for the official confirmation of this person’s identity; the news appeared immediately.

“Many professionals consider it unnecessary to fact-check information from social networks. Monitoring in Detector Media documented crazy things. For example, when presenters of the ‘United news’ [national telemarathon] read info from Russian Telegram channels and distribute their propaganda,” Dovzhenko recalls.

News media have to find an answer on how to explain what is happening. This requires expert opinion from specialists in various fields. “The most important thing is proper analysis. It cannot be unconditional and unequivocal. Professional analysis is based on assumptions and careful statements to avoid errors. Journalists need to balance informing and objectivity,” Dovzhenko says.

However, this story highlights one important challenge Ukrainian news outlets face – they are competing with non-journalistic sources of news, including Telegram channels, which are unburdened by journalistic standards and can report on a notable story more quickly.

“People switch to Telegram channels… This means that trust is not the main criterion in choosing a source of information. People are switching to Telegram because pluralism and diversity have disappeared from their former main medium, television [Editor’s note: under martial law nationwide TV channels are legally required to broadcast a single joint news marathon]. They prefer quickness and the platform’s convenience to its quality and reliability,” Dovzhenko says. The study by the NGO Ukrainian Institute of Media and Communication found that 45.2% of respondents believed that information on Telegram channels was always verified.

Communication with military and civilians

For Ukrayinska Pravda war journalist Olha Kyrylenko, the most notable challenge is communication with press officers and other people in the military responsible for contact with journalists.

“Sometimes the level of self-censorship of these people [press officers] can simply go off the scale. One of them once came to my camera saying, ‘we don’t talk about politics’, interrupting a soldier who said something about Zelenskyy (he said something positive, by the way),” Kyrylenko recalls. She tries to carefully explain why it is inappropriate to do so and protect her journalistic boundaries.

One of the most significant ethical challenges is to balance the need to report the truth while being mindful of the potential harm caused by reporting. There is always a danger of inadvertently providing a platform for propaganda or misinformation, which could fuel the violence.

Another ethical dilemma war reporters face is how to report on civilians affected by the war. Interviewing them requires sensitivity and tact to ensure that reporting does not exacerbate their trauma. The main goal is to ensure safety and respect their privacy while accurately representing their experiences.

What you need to know before going to the frontline

“The rule of ‘do no harm’ during the war is fundamental, so before publishing a photo or video, I think a million times whether I’m not exposing the position or location of the military. If I have doubts about something, I ask the military or press officers themselves,” Kyrylenko says.

Her curiosity and desire to tell the truth slightly outweigh personal safety issues. However, in addition to covering safety basics (tactical medicine training, first aid kits, body armour, helmets), she advises investigating the situation in that region. For example, ask military friends where you can drive to and which roads are considered safe.

“Before entering a position, I always ask: ‘How many wounded have you had from this position in the last week? – None. – Yeah, ok, I’m going,’” Kyrylenko says.

She advises novice war reporters to avoid Bakhmut or similar cities, where artillery fire is constant and street fights occur. “Suddenly, during the shelling, you will realise that you are terribly afraid of loud sounds and do not control your actions…; this situation will be unwelcome for both you and the soldiers,” Kyrylenko says.

How to professionally cover sensitive topics

“I was impressed by the case of the Kyiv Independent’s investigation [into alleged leadership misconduct in the Ukrainian army’s International Legion]. It is made professionally and according to Western standards. After the publication of this investigation, there were no appeals to the ethics commission or accusations that Kyiv Independent are traitors,” Dovzhenko says.

This example highlights a sensitive, complex, and possibly disadvantageous situation for Ukrainian journalists covering the war professionally in their country, trying to not to harm their country but keep reporting on difficult problems. Kyiv Independent’s investigation found the right balance. [Editor’s note: disclosure – several of The Fix’s editors have been co-founders and senior leaders of the Kyiv Independent].

At the same time, Dovzhenko has questions for foreign journalists who need help understanding the local context. They often use assumptions or comments from their sources, who are uninformed, and believe them more than official sources.

Olha Kyrylenko believes that the mission of war reporters is to humanise the war as much as possible. “I set myself the task of showing this war as truthfully as possible. Without ‘hooray, we will beat everyone’ or ‘there are 2-3 weeks left [until victory].’ This creates unjustified societal expectations and [builds] disappointment in the army. War is long, hard, and heartbreaking. Behind each mention, ‘The Armed Forces repulsed the attack’, there are five such attacks and people who held that trench all night and then took out their wounded and dead. Memory is the only thing that will remain after their death,” Kyrylenko says.

Despite the challenges and dilemmas, the role of war reporters remains crucial in helping people understand the complexities of war and its impact on civilians. Through their reporting, they provide a voice to the victims of war, bring attention to human rights abuses, and hold those responsible accountable for their actions. Their bravery and commitment to the truth serve as a reminder of the role that journalism plays in shaping our understanding of the world around us.

ethical dilemmas

Latest in ethical dilemmas

Ethical dilemmas in wartime journalism – insights from Ukraine