Mediator Nataliya Klymenko: for me, cabinet journalism does not exist

With the beginning of the war, many new specialties appeared in our society, which became the answer to the challenges of the time. Fixers, volunteer logisticians, social workers for displaced people, mediators… The war intensified the problems of communities, complicated communications between different categories of the population, and in particular affected the classic vertical of the government – ordinary citizens. Journalists who, following the call of their hearts, usually actively “went to people”, began to perform a number of atypical functions for them, in order to repair broken communication links. One of them is mediation. Who are mediators and how this new journalistic role resonates with the traditional – mass media role, we discussed with the participant of the “Community Mediators” project, a journalist of the publication “Gard. City” (Pervomaysk) to Natalia Klymenko.
Media and mediators. Are these words related by chance?
Yes, a mediator is a communicator who tries to establish relations between different parties. As you know, everything starts with communication. Let’s remember, first there was the Word, and then everything else. And today, in this difficult time, we must reassure the community, give it an understanding that it is important and that the government must serve it. We have to draw attention to those problems that those in power most likely do not notice. It is the mediators who help raise this layer of problems. They are interested in what kind of life the community lives, what services are important to it…
What tasks are set before you?
As journalists with experience in interaction, we establish communications primarily between the authorities and the community.
Who is not a journalist, especially if he has been working in the region for a long time, knows both the problems of his area and what his community lives by. He knows by and large those who are in power.
The “Community mediators” project was initiated by the “Abo” media development agency. And for its implementation, she chose the best option – the figure of a journalist. What is needed is a journalist-mediator, because there are quite a lot of mediators as such. At the beginning of my activity, it was the mediators who asked me the question: what do you do there? And I answered: debugging, building a successful communications algorithm.
Which communities are covered by this project?
Communities of Odesa region, Mykolaiv region, Dnipropetrovsk region, Kharkiv region, Donetsk region. The agency has an ambitious goal to cover the entire country with mediation links, but so far only nine communities from these regions are involved.
If we talk specifically about the Pervomaysk community, what has already been achieved?
A lot, because we have been working since January. Mediators went to the community with questionnaires, we are “storming” people in the historical direction. We invite them to think about the facts of history, they view and evaluate archival photos. They give answers to problematic questions, what they don’t like about public transport, for example. They actively “throw” their proposals to us. We summarize all this and bring it to the authorities so that they understand the problems from the inside.

Is it done in the form of a report?
No, during round tables, where we discuss problematic issues and invite representatives of the authorities. We use various forms of work – from surveys to complete immersion in the environment. For example, a journalist has to spend one day in a certain profession. I just published an article about athletes, more precisely about karate fighters. I looked at how they live. Crazy work 24/7 and 365 days a year to grow a champion. One day is a mini-photograph of your entire working life. We also cooperate with national experts, with everyone who is competent in communication issues. I talked about this, for example, with Taras Kremen, the language ombudsman. We conduct interviews with public organizations and business representatives. In addition, we adopt the experience of other teams of mediators, such as Yuzhnoukrainska, and adapt it to our community. But, probably, the most important thing in this project is in-depth interviews, when a person begins to name problems that he cannot talk about somewhere in a public place.

Does the government listen to mediators?
So. This connection was not formed easily. But he is. The press secretary from the city council comes to the round tables and conveys our questions to those in power. They studied the document for a long time, but in the end, at a session of the city council, they signed a memorandum of cooperation between the authorities and mediators from Abo, who work for the community.
Is it actually decision journalism?
Yes, we don’t just cover events. And I’m not just a journalist. We take care of solving issues through communications. As journalists, we perform a lot of new tasks, responding to the challenges of the times.
So can we say that journalism has undergone changes?
The war greatly changed the face of journalism. Currently, she has no trifles. Even reporting whether a coffee shop or a shop is open is also very important. And it was especially relevant at the beginning of the war, when people were extremely confused.
We document, we tell, we are on the battlefield. We are inside, we are in the thick of events. Cabinet journalism does not exist for me. A journalist must go to the people, must ask and broadcast information to society. Another thing is that journalism is not as influential as it used to be. Although…
Although the mediation project proves otherwise…
We are trying to raise the role of journalism. A journalist becomes multifunctional, like a universal soldier. He not only writes, but also analyzes what he has written, transmits it to the authorities and receives a certain effect from his activity.
Is there feedback from the community?
Of course. The community communicates. She feels that people are interested in her opinion.
So, let’s say, an average citizen noticed a problem, what should he do?
Write in any social network. The mediator will come to him himself. Or contact through personal messages or through comments under posts. This is open communication. No one is hiding. Here, for example, the other day, due to power outages, the water and sewage system began to suffer. The water disappeared for a day. Of course, people are nervous. They turn to me. I call the boss and give them the answers. When people have information, they calm down. And everything covered in darkness leads to gossip, rumors and panic.
So the community knows its mediator, right?
So. When I announced on our website that I had become a mediator, the principal of one of the schools wrote with surprise: what was different before? As an active person of the community, I was accepted in a new capacity very quickly. This is my mediation life.