Ukrainian NGOs as Opinion Makers: How Media Organizations Communicate about Progress in New Democracy with Western Donors

Abstract

In the last 20 years, multiple media NGOs in Ukraine have been actively protecting the freedom of speech in the country with help of many Western donors who supported the development of its independent media system. Through systematic funding efforts and multiple programs, Western donors helped to inspire, encourage, and instill values, qualities, and attributes of the independent media among Ukrainian journalists. Western donors funded the establishment of new independent media outlets and media-related organizations in Ukraine to support freedom of speech in the country and to establish a solid network of media NGOs to monitor, report, and publicly announce any freedom of speech violations. This study investigates whether media or media NGOs in Ukraine became the most effective opinion makers in convincing Western donors to support them throughout the years. This study reports the results of the 38 interviews with representatives of Western donors and local media NGOs. The results demonstrated that Western donor support has been influential in the establishment and the development of the vast majority of media monitoring organizations, media and journalist training organizations, media NGOs and, to a lesser extent, actual independent media outlets in Ukraine. Based on the results of this study, the paper demonstrates that the media NGOs in Ukraine were actual opinion makers in regard to the status of freedom of speech in Ukraine, not the media outlets. The study discusses challenges and opportunities that Ukrainian media NGOs face as they continue to grow their presence in Ukraine. The study discusses which strategies of these NGOs as opinion makers are perceived as most sustainable and most effective by the Western donors. The paper concludes with practical implications and recommendations to media-related NGOs that operate in Ukraine, as well as other young democracies and countries in transition.