We would like to thank Dr. Melnykova-Kurhanova for her time and commitment during the first part of her research stay at the University of Passau!
Olena Melnykova-Kurhanova is an Associate Professor of Journalism at the National Aviation University in Kyiv (Ukraine). She also serves as a media coach and is a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. Within the PICAIS Fellowship, she is conducting research on "Public Communication in a City under Attack: Russia's Informational Influence on the Citizens of Mariupol" at the Chair of Political Communication with a Focus on Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet Region (Prof. Dr. Florian Töpfl).
From October 2022 to March 2023, she carried out the first part of her research stay, which focused on analyzing and structuring the transition of the information situation and, in particular, the access options on information before and during the war in Ukraine (on the example of Mariupol). She collected eyewitness reports and various materials and evidence on media use during the siege, examined the impact on local media and sighted through information dissemination on social networks. Together with Prof. Dr. Töpfl, she developed an Ethical Review Application of the Project about conducting interviews in such repressive contexts.
On February 21, Olena Melnykova-Kurhanova presented the first results of her research in a public research colloquium, dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian war. During her speech, she shared her personal experience of being under siege in Mariupol and presented research based on modern communication methods, including the semi-structured interviews with witnesses of the siege. She also spoke about other destroyed cities in Ukraine during the war. The presentation, as her research, focused on the types of communication used during the information blockade in Mariupol, the tools of propaganda influence, and the transformation of the city’s media landscape under siege. Olena discussed the unique challenges posed by enemy propaganda narratives and public communications in the sieged city.
The event was held in a mixed format, with university staff, students and city residents attending the open seminar in person while participants from various countries joined online.
The Digital Research Magazine of the University of Passau has interviewed Dr. Melnykova-Kurhanova. If you wish to get further insights into her research and research background, you can find the article here: article in the Digital Research Magazine.
During the last months, she also took part in other events related to her research:
In December, she traveled to Bratislava, Slovakia. In the Cover Conference How Russia’s War in Ukraine Changes Journalism, which was attended by 240 journalists and researchers from 21 countries, Olena Melnykova-Kurhanova participated in discussions, communicated with speakers and exchanged experiences from the war. The speakers focused on several aspects of war reporting in Ukraine, such as documenting war crimes and protecting human rights, being on the cutting edge of news and covering sensitive topics, providing physical security and psychological assistance to journalists, countering propaganda, getting a big picture, addressing ethical challenges and revising standards.
Shortly after, she participated in a panel discussion titled Ukrainian and Iranian fight for freedom against authoritarian regimes – similarities and differences at the University of Passau. The panel featured a number of notable speakers. During her opening statement, Olena Melnykova-Kurhanova spoke about the struggle for freedom in Ukraine. The panelists had the opportunity to ask each other questions and respond to queries from the audience.
Dr. Melnykova-Kurhanova will return to the University of Passau in October 2023 for the second part of her Fellowship for another six months to research the local working conditions of journalists in Mariupol and how their situation changed. We are looking forward to continuing the cooperation!
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