photo-project: Media

 

 

During our project each participant had the task to take a photo which is somehow related to media and describe what it means to her/him. Here you can find the results.


This photo reminds me those unforgettable days. It was exciting to find answers to different questions together. German experience helps me to understand a lot of things about media in general and difference between political systems in our countries. I got important information from lectures and communication with foreign students. Time I spent with members of this meeting was really cool for me.

Hi everyone! My name is Ivan and I’m from Ternopil. Studying Physics at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” helps me to understand many interesting things, especially the role of media in Science and Technology.

 


This picture was taken in the metro tube. I propose you to think about efficiency of advertisment in the metro. If you ride it often you know how boring these trips could be. So you try to find something interesting around yourself and start to look at these posters. And if you ride and see the same ads every day it stays in your head anyways and influence your preferences. So how could you avoid media influence?

My name is Viktoria, I'm 19. I was born in the West of Ukraine, now I live in Kyiv and study editing&publishing at the Institute of  Journalism. I want to learn as much as possible about media so I could become a real professional in the future.


This picture was taken during our visit to 112 Ukraine Channel several days ago. Building is very modern and technically developed. A lot of quotes of famous people about media are written on the walls. This one says: "Comment is free, but facts are sacred" by C. P. Scott. Charles Prestwich Scott was famous British journalist, publisher and editor of The Guardian. This quote is taken from his essay devoted to the centenary of the journal. I chose this picture, because I believe that this sentence should be some kind of a law for every journalist regardless to the country, political situation or type of media. This quote states a values of free press. Objectivity and independance are the most important values in journalism. And only by providing with truthful facts journalists can be considered as objective and independant.

My name is Dana and I am from Kyiv. I study Germanic Philology in Kyiv Mohyla Academy. I am interested in journalism and problems of media, especially in Ukraine. Media plays huge role in society's life and, unfortunately, some Ukrainian media lack objectivity and independence. And that is one of the aims that should be achieved in the nearest future.


This time in Kyiv I noticed a lot of posters in public, made by the government or governmental institutions; such as "one county - one language" or people from various  Ukrainian regions and traditions congratulating to the Independence-Day and transporting the message "all of us are Ukraine" - the worker from Donbass as well as the farmer from Uzhgorod. 

I understand why there are official campaigns  in the public (and of course also in Germany there are), but I still dislike some of them. To me many seem to be quite nationalistic and I - probably  I as a German - feel uncomfortable with national propaganda, especially in a country in the state of war.  Why is it needed to promote political decisions of an elected government in this way? Don't the people understand by themselves? Is it also a kind of war-propaganda? 

This picture was taken in the centre of Kyiv, not far from Maidan. It shows one of the poster boxes open with a destroyed poster. Who opened it? Pacifists, Russian nationalists or just hooligans?

I am Elena and I study German and History in Leipzig. In 2013/14 I volunteered in an orphanage in Kyiv - that's when I got to know Ukraine and got filled with enthusiasm for it. Working for a peace-organisation I am very interested in peace-building and conflict-management and in which role media plays in the process of war and reconciliation.


I chose a photo of the metro station “Arsenalna” in Kiev. It is the deepest station in the world (located at 105.5m under the ground). This picture can't show the deepness of the metro station, but symbolizes how deep media got integrated in our daily life. You can see boxes presenting current advertisement between the opposed escalators. If you travel downstairs to the railway line, you are able to get informed about the latest offers and news. Of course, nowadays advertising is everywhere. But these specific boxes are not only present advertising, they also have an essential importance for the metro station: they spend light. So, without them, it would be dark. This fact is a metaphor for the general function of media. Without media, not only information would be hidden, but it even would obscure our daily life. We would not be able to text with our friends, we could not read the latest news and there would be less transparency in the world. Media can help to see the diverse world!

Hello, my name is Lars. I am from Germany and I am studying Communication, Media and Political Science in the town of Rostock. It was my first time in Ukraine and I really enjoyed it. Not only the depth of the metro stations, but also the diversity and beauty of the country really impressed me. I will come back.


 

I picked the picture from the Lonsky Museum in Lviv because of the several reasons. Firstly, it was a first time for me to visit this memorial place, and I even did not know about its existence before. Secondly, we had great guiding tour through the museum. However, what is more interesting, the discussions during and after the excursion were intense and informative. Two, or even three different points of view collided in one historical place, and the defender of their thoughts had their own arguments, credible or not. The Soviet Union propaganda posters in one of the prisons room are related to the decomunisation process, which is also related to the independence of media and their old vision of the political events in the country and throughout the world. Ukraine and its citizens still do not know what to do with the Soviet Union inheritance, and this is a question of ideology and time when people start to percept the other values, mostly the European ones.

 

My name is Tanya, and I am a recruiter and former creative writer. I used to study at Law Faculty of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and recently I entered the Interdisciplinary Judaic Certificate Program within the Master's specialty "History". I am interested in the interpretation of history, arts, and PR-management.


Commemoration without the mediation of professional media: This photo was taken by me near Maidan. It shows pictures and texts remembering victims of the Events during Euromaidan. Apparently, these posters where selfmade by relatives of the people depicted. By that, it is a quite direct and traditional form of communication between a sender (the relatives expressing their desire to commemorate) and receiver (the passer-bys ). On Maidan, you can find a lot more personal and provisional messages and objects like that. To symbolize that, I chose this picture. Also in the time of mass media and digitalization, this direct and in that way quite grassroots form of communication still exists. (Although you have to keep in mind, that not all posters on Maidan – you could think of ones which give a negative interpretation of the events of Euromaidan – might be tolerated, and instead taken down by authorities or passer-bys.)

My name is Alex. I am 28 years old. Currently, I am studying history in Leipzig with a focus on South-eastern and Eastern Europe. I lived in Szczecin, Poland for have an year, participating in European Voluntary Service, and travelled other Eastern European countries before. Ukraine on the other side has been kind of a white spot on the map for me before.


As a graphic designer I have a special look on commercials and advertising. There is lots of them in Kiev, especially in the metro stations. Media is everywhere and I was surprised which kind of products are promoted there. 

One advertising campaign caught my intention: The new Ukrainian passport. Ukrainians can get a new passport with a chip of bio-metric data inside. Therefore it is not necessary anymore to request a visa anymore if they like to visit other European countries. That´s a great thing and posters for traveling to Europe can be found everywhere in Kiev. Unfortunately it takes lots of time to get a new passport and for many Ukrainians its still to expensive. On the other hand Ukraine is thinking about a visa requirement for Russian citizens. Russia already react and mentioned for their part a visa requirement for Ukrainian citizens.

 

My name is Emanuel Pelz. I grew up in east Germany, in a small town close to Berlin. That prompted me already a few times to go abroad to different countries, like Iceland or Brazil. Now I live, work and study in Leipzig. As a graphic designer and film maker I´m looking for interesting stories, details and surprising aspects that can be narrated. My work is often related documentary film making. For that reason I decided to apply for the exchange program “meeting media: chances and risks - a Ukrainian-German experience”.

 


The picture shows the title page of the Kyiv Post on 18 August 2017.  

As a free newspaper, it is easily available to many citizens of Kyiv.  

I chose it to highlight the close connection between media and war,  

especially in the current case of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.  

During some workshops, we discussed the importance of propaganda in  

official news and this title page sort of confirms this, labelling the  

conflict as 'Russia's war on Ukraine'. On a different level, I quite  

like the headline 'War for Minds' because it suggests the struggle of  

different types of media for attention and influence, also implicating  

how everyone should question the way their opinions are formed. Wars  

aren't fought with armies alone.

I'm Milena, 20 years old and originally from a town in Brandenburg,  Germany. I've studied English Studies and history at the universities  of Leipzig and Leicester, being very interested in European history  and culture. Travelling is a passion of mine, as are literature, Asian food and rock music.


The picture was taken on the Maidan in Kiev during our meeting. It represents in my opinion a lot of topics which I got involved with in the last time. First, media is everywhere, on a tourist place like this shop on the Maidan – and even on a toilet. Second, media and politics are very connected. In the picture you see Putin on a toiletpaper. It is a statement for it`s own. Nearby you see the flag of Ukraine and Europe. The whole picture is pointing out some views on the current political situation in Ukraine. We talked a lot about the war in Ukraine and how media (sometimes we can say propaganda) influences society and the political situation. The discussions we had and all I`ve learned about the war in eastern Ukraine, the Maidan movement and in general the Ukraine People and their cultures changed many perspectives I`ve had. Now I am much more aware of the importance of the interpendencies of media and poitics and I have a much higher understanding of the events of Maidan and the events which followed.

Hello, I am Rebecca. I am from Germany and I am studying Theology in Berlin, but I am also interested in politics an journalism as well.This trip was my first time in Ukraine and the project really akouse my interest in this beautiful country.


I took this picture in the centre of Kiev. It represents for me the "traditional" print media. They need to be sold at the street - and of course, these street press shops are sometimes closed. What is the role of print media in times of Internet, when the information can be accessed immediatly from every place? I think shops like these and newspapers play they own role, because they are more visible than smartphone activities and shape public discussions. But the picture also shows that media is a product that is sold and that can't exist without

being paid for.

My name is Marlene. I am 20 years old and I'm studying agriculture. I think the communication between Eastern and Western European countrys needs to be improved by exchanges and personal connections, but also by media reporting. Interest in and knowledge about European history is important for current political understanding and peace.


"Freedom is our religion!" - and below are broken chains depicted. I chose this picture which was taken during our tour on the Maidan Revolution. This advertisement hangs right next to the Independence Square and so conveys such an urgent message to the Ukrainian citizens.

The interesting aspect about media is for me how it can be used to communicate political issues. Ukraine is a perfect example how "agenda setting", or the focus of media on certain topics, works.

My name is Tristan, I am 20 years old and study Politics, Administration and International Relations at the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. For me, Ukraine is a very interesting country, especially from the political perspective. That is why I volunteered in Kremenets, a small town in western Ukraine, for one year. Now I would like to share my experience to create a more diverse image of Ukraine.


To my mind, this photo shows the heart of all media – technical equipment.  For me, word  “media”  has really a lot of meanings and even more associations.  But anyway, this kind of equipment, which is presented on the photo, for me is media. I took this photo during the excursions to the one of Ukrainian TV channel and I think nobody can’t imagine media without good computer and recording equipment.  Media environment is really competitive and very important to be connected with flows of information and It is necessity to be fast. I choose it because this picture connects all levels and departments of any media company, any kind of media. Without technical equipment modern journalism can’t exist. The speed of spreading information to the people depends on the technique that the redaction has. Because modern world of media is about speed and flexibility of information and without it both the biggest actors of press – readers and journalist can’t imagine good media environment. For me this photo express the bridge between information, journalists and consumers of information. 

I am Zoriana Yuzvin. I am from Ternopil, Ukraine. I’m studying towards obtaining two Bachelor’s degrees - in Journalism and in International Economics.  I have active position in my life and I adore taking part in different new exchanges and projects, which I appreciate as important challenges.  If to say very shortly about me, I like studying, travelling, writing articles and just to be always curious about a lot of things and topics.


In that picture senior man reads a newspaper in a tram in Lviv. That is a newspaper advertising Ukrainian political party "Samopomich". Usually such type of political newspapers are aimed at convincing people to vote for those parties and are given for free. They give some information on political agenda of the party, on the other hand, these newspapers don't have high standards of quality and are not aimed at deep understanding of the issues discussed.

My name is Kyrylo Shturbabin. I am a student of political science at Kyiv Mohyla Acadrmy. I am also interested in many different things: writing songs, community service, intellectual games. Media are interesting for me because I believe that it itself has a great power and impact on our life.


A monument to Shevchenko in Kyiv as a symbol of national memory in Ukraine.

Sevchunko's park near Shevchenko's University.

Now in Ukraine there is the decommunisation and revival of the memory of national heroes. Often, instead of monuments to Lenin, they put monuments to Shevchenko.

Decommunisation is one of the main topics in the media.

Liena Shulika is journalist and documentary filmmaker from Kyiv. The area of interests is wide: from the problems of specific people and to global ones.


The picture was taken in Kyiv's editorial office of Deutsche Welle, a german public broadcaster. It symbolizes the complicated role of journalists in war zones: Can soldiers be journalists and are journalists that different from soldiers, when they visit a peticular army on the frontline? How does it influence journalists and their reporting if they have to protect their bodies with helmets and bulletproof vests at work?

My name is Marie, I'm 26 years old and live in Frankfurt/Main in Germany. I studied Sociology and Cultural Anthropology and will now start to work as a journalist. In 2011 I volunteered in Simferopol, Crimea for one year and since then try to visit Ukraine as often as possible. 


This photo was taken at the redaction of «112 Україна» channel. I chose it because of the quotation on the wall that can be translated as: “newspaper teaches people about what they don’t know and to know about what they don’t understand».  That can be said about journalism on whole rather than newspaper in general. It means that journalism is not just about informing about different events, but also about teaching         people to analyze information they get from media.

Hi! My name is Mary. I am 20 years old journalist. 


Choosing postcards like these, for example in cafés, take them home and put them on the wall is not only a form to express yourself (in a very cheap way), but also to use media actively.

I took the picture from this pro-European postcards during our seminar in Kiew. They were brought there among many other postcards to help us reflect on the project. The ones I picked have been the most political ones as there were many ones more general.

It is shown a political opininion as well an advice in behaviour. 

Postcards like these are an expression of media for sure, but for me, they are a type of media that you choose actively to underline your political opinion - in an aesthetical and creative way.

My name is Teresa Kampfmann and I am 22 years old. I grew up in a village in the northern part of Bavaria, and then moved to Halle in order to study sociology and political science. After finishing my studies and volunteering in Greece for half an year, I am now looking forward to start my master studies in October.