Wartime Journalism Training in Ukraine: Adaptability, Erasmus+, and Media Blind Spots

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/02/20

 Daryna Sheremeta is a Ukrainian journalism student at the Faculty of Journalism at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She describes adaptability as the key wartime reporting skill: plans shift, access changes, and the tempo of news accelerates while accuracy and responsibility remain essential. She participated in Erasmus+, the European Union programme supporting education, training, youth, and sport, including study periods and traineeships abroad. In the conversation, she also notes differing approaches across Ukrainian journalism programmes and says she chose an international media track beginning in her third year. She argues foreign coverage should center on people’s stories and asymmetry.

In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen speaks with Daryna Sheremeta,  a journalism student at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. She says wartime journalism demands adaptivity: meetings can collapse, timelines shift, and speed intensifies without relaxing verification. She explains Erasmus+ as the EU programme supporting education, training, youth, and sport, and credits exchanges with revealing how little many outsiders understand Ukraine. They discuss Ukraine’s fixed-curriculum cohort system, and security limits on reporting sensitive military details. Sheremeta argues Western coverage often overweights politics and numbers, underplaying lived experience and asymmetry.

Scott Dougls Jacobsen: Where are you training in journalism? How long have you been in training, and what would you describe as the most significant lesson from your schooling?

Sheremeta: I am currently in my last year of studies at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Faculty of Journalism. The biggest lesson I have learned is adaptability. Journalists are taught to be flexible in many places, but during wartime, it becomes essential. You have to adapt constantly to changing situations, especially when working near the front line. Meetings can be cancelled at the last minute, schedules change unpredictably, and conditions shift quickly. 

You must remain flexible in timing, language, and expectations. Adaptability also applies to the pace of reporting. Wartime journalism moves extremely fast—faster than the already accelerated pace of modern information consumption and production. Journalists have to keep up that pace while maintaining accuracy and accountability.

Jacobsen: You took part in an Erasmus program. What is the Erasmus program, and where did it take you?

Sheremeta: Erasmus+ is the European Union’s programme that supports education, training, youth, and sport. It funds opportunities such as study periods and traineeships abroad, as well as youth exchanges and other projects run through participating organizations. For me, it was meaningful because it pushed me out of my social bubble and exposed me to different cultures. It also mattered because it gave me a chance to talk with people abroad about Ukraine. In my experience, many people outside Ukraine have limited awareness of what is happening on the ground. I wrote a paper analyzing how Ukraine’s war is covered in a French media outlet and found that the coverage I examined often emphasized numbers and high-level political actors, leaving audiences with a distorted impression of lived reality. These exchanges allowed me to speak directly with people and explain what is happening beyond headlines and statistics. If I changed even one person’s understanding of Ukraine, that would be worthwhile.

Jacobsen: Why did you choose journalism, of all professions, for your training?

Sheremeta: I will probably not give a firm answer to this question. We were asked many times during our first year at university. Professors often expect some big explanation about choosing journalism, but for me, it was simpler. It was curiosity. I like writing, talking to people I do not know, and creating things. That was the main reason. It was not about having a grand idea of changing the world or saving lives through journalism—just genuine curiosity.

Jacobsen: There is a lot of discussion around algorithms and so-called artificial intelligence, huge language models. They are often described as AI, though some argue they are closer to statistical engines. Is this discussed in your journalism education, especially regarding the ethical use of tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini?

Sheremeta: Yes, it is discussed, but not very profoundly. AI entered our lives very rapidly, and academia was not ready for it. At least in our educational system, things move quite slowly. We talk about AI and ethical use, but not extensively. A more structured discussion will come in a few years.

Jacobsen: What do you mean when you say the educational system is slow?

Sheremeta: I have had the chance to study in different countries to compare educational systems. When I compare the topics covered at universities abroad with those in Ukraine, as well as the teaching methods, I see differences. Improvements are needed, especially in updating methods and introducing topics that reflect what we are experiencing now. Some textbooks and subjects can feel outdated. That is what I mean by the system being slow. Universities are actively introducing some new teaching methods, interesting courses, and so on.

Jacobsen: How large is your cohort? How many journalism students are there?

Sheremeta: The number is increasing every year. At my year of studying faculty, we have about 150 students. There are way more students at the faculty in general. Friends of mine in their second year have more than 200 students in a single cohort. In Ukraine, the system works differently from places like the Netherlands. When you enter university, you are placed into a group of about 20 people with a fixed curriculum. You can choose your courses, but the biggest part of your curriculum is prearranged for you. (You can check it before entering the university.) You study with the same group. You stay in a group of 20 people and this group studies the same subjects.  We have department division, so in the second year of your studies you can choose a field you are interested in: TV, radio, foreign/Ukrainian media, new media, and so on. You attend all classes together, as in school, where you stay with the same class every day.

Jacobsen: How do you see journalism differing when you study or observe it in places like the Netherlands or Turkey compared to Western Ukraine? How do journalistic styles differ? How would you describe journalism in Ukraine now, especially compared with media abroad?

Sheremeta: Journalism in Ukraine is now primarily focused on the war and war-related issues. This is a context you cannot escape. Even when reporting on topics not directly related to the war, it remains in the background, which is natural under the circumstances.

I feel that the media abroad often try to be more “objective” when covering Ukraine by presenting both sides—Ukrainian and Russian. This approach gives a platform to those who are killing us, committing war crimes, and committing genocide. In that sense, this idea of fairness or objectivity is debatable. In Ukraine, we prioritize credible sources and try to filter out voices of Russian propagandists that are spreading disinformation about the war. There is no meaningful value in giving russian propagandists a platform to speak because they will never openly admit to committing war crimes, and we cannot give them space to justify or distort what is happening.

Jacobsen: How long is the journalism program?

Sheremeta: Four years.

Jacobsen: How many journalism schools are there in Ukraine?

Sheremeta: Almost every university has something related to journalism. It might be journalism, communications, media studies, or social sciences related to media. Most universities have some form of this.

Jacobsen: Who would you consider leading media voices in Ukraine during the war—journalists or media figures whose reporting people really listen to?

Sheremeta: It really depends on your social bubble. Young people follow their own opinion leaders, older people follow different ones, and parents follow others. I cannot name specific individuals, because people in Ukraine tend to follow media outlets rather than individual journalists.

For example, people may watch a channel like 1+1, but they do not necessarily focus on a specific anchor. It depends on the audience, and I cannot speak for everyone. When I want to consume news, I look for trustworthy media outlets rather than individual bloggers or journalists.

This is similar to North America. People might rely on Reuters or AP for international news, and then turn to domestic outlets with clearer political orientations. In some countries, people also develop attachments to individual anchors because of their voices, appearances, or styles. That is natural—people like feeling a personal connection. When you read an article, you may ignore who wrote it, but when an independent journalist speaks directly to you, it feels different. Still, in Ukraine, media outlets matter more than individual personalities.

Jacobsen: Do journalism students all receive the same coursework, or can they specialize—for example, in investigative journalism, war journalism, or fashion journalism?

Sheremeta: At my university, specialization begins in the third year. We choose departments depending on our interests. You can focus more on television and radio, or on new media, such as online journalism. I chose international press because I am curious about that field.

Jacobsen: Are there other universities in Ukraine that approach journalism differently, for example, with a focus on war reporting?

Sheremeta: Yes. I know that in Kyiv there is a university with a department dedicated to military journalism. They prepare students to work as frontline reporters and offer corresponding courses, including training that is closer to military-style preparation, though not actual military service. The focus there is on efficiency and on reporting from active conflict zones.

Jacobsen: How much independence would you say the media has in Ukraine during wartime? Are there areas where reporting is more restricted?

Sheremeta: Of course, during the war, some things cannot be reported freely, such as the locations of military bases or sensitive operational details. That is common sense, and journalists understand the need for caution. There are limits motivated by safety rather than censorship.

At the same time, people generally have the freedom to discuss issues, criticize, propose solutions, raise problems, and initiate dialogue. If the question is whether journalists are actively silenced or shut down for expressing critical views, the answer is no. It is more about prudence and responsibility than repression.

Jacobsen: Looking ahead, what do you think the future of journalism in Ukraine looks like?

Sheremeta: We do not yet fully realize it, because we are living in the middle of a significant transformation. We are rethinking our values in real time. Before the war, wealthy individuals owned many of the primary television channels, and their content often reflected their interests. Now, I see a shift toward greater media awareness.

The government has introduced initiatives such as an annual media literacy and media awareness day, where institutions organize campaigns to help people better understand propaganda, manipulation, and how to detect fake news. I like this tendency. People are becoming more media literate and more critical of outlets that are clearly sponsored or controlled by specific interests. More people are seeking quality, independent journalism.

I am hopeful about the future of journalism in Ukraine. I see a growing demand for substance and credibility rather than emotion or manipulation. People will increasingly look for quality journalism.

Jacobsen: What do non-Ukrainians tend not to see or understand immediately about journalism and media in Ukraine during the war? What do non-Ukrainians tend to miss when they report on the war in Ukraine?

Sheremeta: What is often missed is the lived reality of war. Many foreign journalists do not live inside it, so even when they report accurately, they miss essential aspects. War does not pause everyday life. You can be standing in a café, paying a bill, arguing about whether to pay in cash or by card, and then suddenly remembering that a bombing happened nearby earlier. Life continues alongside danger, interruptions, and uncertainty. That constant overlap is difficult to capture from the outside.

What is most often missing in reporting is people’s stories. Coverage abroad is frequently impersonal and framed in terms of numbers—casualties, costs, timelines—but war is never just numbers. It is people’s lives, relationships, routines, fears, and losses. Without those stories, audiences abroad struggle to feel empathy or truly understand what it means to live through war.

I also feel that some Western media present the war in Ukraine as a “conflict,” as if it were a disagreement between two equal sides. That framing is misleading. This is not a balanced dispute or a mutual argument. It is an asymmetrical war, with one side acting as an aggressor and the other defending itself. Treating it as a neutral conflict obscures responsibility and weakens moral clarity.

That is what is most often missed.

Jacobsen: Thank you very much for your time and the opportunity, Daryna

Sheremeta: Thank you, Scott.

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