The Role of Ukrainian Journalism in the Process of Documenting War Crimes Through the Prism of Professional Practices and Ethical Standards

V. Meniailov

Abstract


In the context of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, the role of the media extends beyond traditional information delivery, acquiring the characteristics of an institution for the primary documentation of war crimes. The transformation of a media professional into an event verifier requires the adaptation of ethical standards to the conditions of extreme reporting.

The purpose of the study is to reveal the essence of «testimony journalism» as a specific model of media activity and to determine the role of digital recording methods in creating an evidentiary base for war crimes.

Methodology. The study utilizes content analysis, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), metadata analysis, and critical discourse analysis of media materials.

Results and scientific novelty. For the first time, the study theoretically substantiates the model of «testimony journalism» within which the media professional acts as a subject of primary verification for events exhibiting signs of war crimes. The term «media verification» is conceptualized as a professional process of creating a reliable information array that fills the gap between the moment a crime is committed and the start of an official investigation. The study proves the necessity of shifting the ethical paradigm by moving from the classic «balance standard» toward a priority of factual objectivity, which prevents the legitimization of aggressor propaganda when covering crimes against humanity. The role of the media in the minute-by-minute reconstruction of events and the significance of technological verification for the evidentiary base are also identified.

Practical significance. The results allow for the implementation of developed protocols into editorial activities and the educational process. Specific tools for OSINT research and metadata analysis are highlighted, enabling journalists to create a legally relevant evidentiary base even under conditions of limited access to incident sites. The proposed approaches to trauma-informed reporting, digital security of sources, and algorithms for the long-term storage of sensitive content in international archives ensure the preservation of national memory and the ability of journalistic materials to withstand scrutiny within future international tribunals.

Key words: war crimes, testimony journalism, professional standards, OSINT, media verification, ethics, digital evidentiary base, national memory.


References


Hlibovytska, N. (2022). Zhurnalistska etyka v umovakh viiny: vyklyky ta transformatsii [Journalistic ethics in times of war: Challenges and transformations]. Naukovi zapysky Instytutu zhurnalistyky, 3 (80), 45–58 [in Ukrainian].

Humeniuk, N. (2023). Rol media u pravosuddi: yak zhurnalisty dopomahaiut dokumentuvaty voienni zlochyny [The role of media in justice: How journalists help document war crimes]. Detector Media. Retrieved from https://detector.media/production/article/215432/2023-08-11-natalya-gumenyuk-pro-the-reckoning-project/ [in Ukrainian].

Dovzhenko, O. (2023). Balans pid chas viiny: yak ne peretvoryty zhurnalistskyi standart na instrument voroha [Balance during the war: How not to turn a journalistic standard into an enemy tool]. Detector Media. Retrieved from https://detector.media/ethics/article/211500/2023-05-20-balans-pid-chas-viyny/ [in Ukrainian].

Ivanov, V. F., & Serdiuk, V. Ye. (2021). Zhurnalistska etyka [Journalistic ethics] (3rd ed.). Kyiv: Znannia [in Ukrainian].

Kutovenko, O. (2022). Zhurnalistska etyka yak chynnyk formuvannia doviry do media v umovakh sotsialnykh kryz [Journalistic ethics as a factor in forming trust in media during social crises]. Visnyk Kyivskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka. Seriia: Zhurnalistyka, 1 (31), 70–75. Retrieved from https://journlib.univ.kiev.ua/ [in Ukrainian].

Moroz, O. (2023). Yak zhurnalistu pratsiuvaty z vidkrytymy danymy ta ne staty zhertvoiu manipuliatsii [How a journalist should work with open data and avoid becoming a victim of manipulation]. MediaMaker. Retrieved from https://mediamaker.me/osint-for-journalists/ [in Ukrainian].

Okupatsiia Yahidnoho: zhurnalisty identyfikuvaly viiskovykh RF, yaki trymaly u pidvali sotni liudei [Occupation of Yahidne: Journalists identified Russian military who held hundreds of people in a basement]. (2023). Slidstvo.Info. Retrieved from https://www.slidstvo.info/articles/okupatsiya-yagidnogo-identyfikatsiya-rosijskyh-vijskovyh/ [in Ukrainian].

Olkhovyi, O. (2023). Rol media u dokumentuvanni porushen prav liudyny pid chas zbroinykh konfliktiv [The role of media in documenting human rights violations during armed conflicts]. Visnyk Lvivskoho universytetu. Seriia Zhurnalistyka, 52, 112–120 [in Ukrainian].

Commission on Journalistic Ethics. (2024). Rekomendatsii shchodo vysvitlennia zahyblykh pid chas viiny [Recommendations on covering those killed during the war]. Kyiv. Retrieved from https://cje.org.ua/statements/rekomendatsii-shchodo-vysvitlennia-zahyblykh/ [in Ukrainian].

Robota zhurnalista na deokupovanykh terytoriiakh: bezpeka ta etyka [Journalist's work in de-occupied territories: safety and ethics]. (2023). Kyiv: Institute of Mass Information [in Ukrainian].

Rozkladai, I. (2024). Pravovi ta etychni aspekty fiksatsii voiennykh zlochyniv u tsyfrovomu seredovyshchi [Legal and ethical aspects of recording war crimes in the digital environment]. Detector Media. Retrieved from https://detector.media/community/article/221000/2024-01-15-pravo-na-pravdu/ [in Ukrainian].

Svitla, N. (2023). Zhurnalistyka yak dokaz: yak media pratsiuiut iz fiksatsiieiu zlochyniv [Journalism as evidence: How media work with recording crimes]. ZMINA. Human Rights Centre. Retrieved from https://zmina.info/articles/zhurnalistyka-yak-dokaz-ukr/ [in Ukrainian].

Shcherbyna, M. (2024). OSINT na sluzhbi zhurnalistyky: yak rozkryvaty zlochyny bez dostupu do mistsia podii [OSINT in the service of journalism: how to uncover crimes without access to the scene]. Institute of Mass Information (IMI). Retrieved from https://imi.org.ua/advices/osint-v-zhurnalistytsi [in Ukrainian].

Al-Hlou, Y. (2022). Caught on camera, traced by phone: The russian military unit that killed Dozens in Bucha. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/video/russia-ukraine-bucha-massacre-investigation.html [in English].

Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma. (2024). Reporting on War Crimes: Best Practices. Retrieved from https://dartcenter.org/resources/reporting-war-crimes [in English].

Higgins, E. (2021). We Are Bellingcat: An Intelligence Agency for the People. London: Bloomsbury Publishing [in English].

International Federation of Journalists. (2022). Journalism in the Time of War: Professional Standards and Safety. Brussels. Retrieved from https://www.ifj.org/reports [in English].

The Reckoning Project: Ukraine Testifies. (2024). Official website. Retrieved from https://www.thereckoningproject.com/ [in English].




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.32840/cpu2219-8741/2025.3(63).4

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Since 2013, all electronic versions of the journal are stored in the National Library of Ukraine named after VI Vernadsky of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and presented on the portal in the information resource "Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine".

Indexing of the journal in scientometric databases:

The publication is indexed by Citefactor: 2019/2020: 4,54.

The journal is indexed by Google Scholar.

In 2020, the journal was included in the Index Copernicus.

The journal is indexed by Innospace Scientific Journal Impact Factor (SJIF): 2016: 5,899, 2017: 6,435, 2018: 7,037, 2019: 7,431

From 2020, the collection is indexed by ResearchBib.

Journal included in the PKP Index.