Ukraine: Redefining community journalism in times of war

"We Tell the People of Kharkiv About Kharkiv" (Lyuk Media)

Lyuk Media is a community-driven outlet based in Kharkiv, established in 2015 shortly after the Revolution of Dignity. Its main goal has always been simple: to tell Kharkiv residents about their city. Initially run by volunteers, Lyuk evolved into a key information source on cultural events and civic life. The outlet was founded by journalists Kateryna Pereverzeva and Pavlo Stekh as a platform for culture and the arts. We spoke with Arysia Chernobay, Lyuk’ Media’s operations manager.

DW Akademie: How would you describe the community around Lyuk Media?

Arysia Chernobay: We’ve built a community of active citizens who want to contribute to the city and see how it’s revitalizing. 

We cover local issues through different formats, by producing reports, videos, podcasts, interviews and explainers. We recently produced a series of audio guides to Kharkiv and are preparing a new podcast series about women from the eastern part of Ukraine — stories for and about our community.

What are your strategies for connecting to your audience while the war is going on?

It’s been essential to move from online information spaces to offline meetings, to see our community members face-to-face.

We organize exclusive events, ranging from simple get-togethers to lectures, movie nights, book clubs and guitar concerts. For instance, last month the Kharkiv-based architect Olga Kleitman invited our members to her garden to discuss how Kharkiv is developing as an accessible city. We also hold community chats for active discussions. Our Lyuk Magazine is another focus and we’ve already put out three issues.

Lyuk Magazine: A digital detox for Kharkiv 

What’s the concept behind your magazine? 

We gave the first issue the sub-title «Харків, де твоє обличчя?» (English: “Kharkiv, where is your face?”) after a famous poem by the Kharkiv-based poet, Pavlo Tychyna. The magazine is designed to remind readers of Kharkiv’s Ukrainian identity, one which Russia has for centuries been erasing and destroying. Alongside the magazine's launch, we initiated a campaign for our community that, through murals, highlighted Kharkiv-based artists and cultural activists. At the time, Skovoroda Street was still called Pushkin Street. We called for the street to be renamed, challenging the official position that the name was solely cultural, not political. Following the massive shelling of Kharkiv on January 23, 2024 – Russia’s most intense since the full-scale invasion – the city council decided to rename Pushkin Street after the Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda. This sequence of events reassured us that people need print magazines and physical spaces. 

How has your magazine helped diversify your revenue? 

Community members buy the magazine and that keeps us afloat. We ran out of the first 600 copies in one day, but a reader saw it in a café, learned that we’d sold out, and then personally financed another 600 copies. It takes a significant editorial effort but with around 1,000 copies sold we can at least cover salaries for the next month.  

Shared lessons: Community media understand their readers’ pain points 

What role do community media play in addressing local issues? 

Community media focus on the daily concerns of local residents. National outlets rarely cover these issues, but we amplify local voices. For example, our editor-in-chief’s phone number is publicly listed on our website; anyone can call and share what’s happening. 

Do you have tips for other community media? 

Be honest with your community. In 2022, we faced a severe financial crisis and risked shutting down. We turned to our readers and asked for help. That same year, Patreon (a business tool for content creators to run a subscription service and sell digital products) left Ukraine, so we launched a new fundraising campaign on Buy Me a Coffee and started again from scratch. Our readers helped us bridge that difficult period — it didn’t solve everything, but it kept us alive until we found new solutions. 

The war is only 30 kilometers away, but you still manage to reach an audience with your content. What keeps you going? 

Our community does.  Kharkiv has a population of about one million – some left after the full-scale invasion, but some have returned. There are now only four independent media – including Lyuk Media – amid all the Russian disinformation. Our mission is to try to prevent people from falling for this propaganda. It’s thanks to our community that we’re able to remain an independent media outlet in this independent city of Ukraine. 

The project "Strengthening Independent Media for a Strong Democratic Ukraine" is implemented by DW Akademie in cooperation with Lviv Media Forum and The Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine Suspilne. The project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).  

This article was funded by the European Union.  Its contents are the sole responsibility of DW Akademie and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.