The 2025 Golden Pen of Freedom was awarded  to Ukraine’s independent media during the World News Media Congress in Krakow this month. Alyona Yatsyna, the 33 year-old co-founder of independent Ukrainian news startup Kordon.Media, was one of a team of journalists on stage to accept the award.

Kordon (meaning border) is named for its geographical positioning in the Sumy region close to the Russian border in north east Ukraine, where Yatsyna works as a military journalist and media manager. 

She is also the regional coordinator of the Institute of Mass Information.

Kordon.Media was born of a meeting with three local journalists with little more than passion and determination to share their experiences. They  had worked together before, and resolved to pool their collective skills. 

“I have media experience; Olesya Borovyk is an editor with field work experience, and the two guys – Yehor Kryvoruchko and Oleksandr Oleksienko – are photographers and videographers,” explains Yatsyna.  

“We set a strategy, and made a resolution, to give it one year; if it works, great. And now, two years later,  I am here.” 

Yatsyna shared her experience in a Congress session on Newsroom Leadership, outlining valuable lessons gained from a “special war, with special rules”.

“Of course, our war is not the first war in the world. But this war with Russia is a special war. It is a war without rules. And we have experience in this reality; in a social network and drone war reality, and we can share these experiences: Training and development in the art of war journalism,” she emphasises. 

Challenges, solutions – and lessons for life 

That Ukraine’s media faces multiple challenges is well documented. 

The greatest challenge is safety, first. “How to stay alive is most important, so we update our safety protocols every three months,” explains Yatsyna. 

Another daily challenge lies in how to face a constant slew of ethical dilemmas. 

“This calls for a new ethical conversation about war journalism,” notes Yatsyna, citing of an in-field example of what propels them.

’We operate by principle, not blind rules: If one of us is hurt, we help; if a civilian is hurt, we call for help.’

And, even in times of crisis, they find some relief in humour, “Which is now dark, because life… “ 

Hence: “War/life balance” – an invocation to seek therapeutic relief from daily horrors, however possible.  

These are few examples of alternative remedies; Ukrainian journalists also have wide experience in dealing with an ongoing onslaught of propaganda and social trolling and AI manipulation.

“We’ve taken the first step (in combatting) some of these, and we can make this first step  easier for the next person,” adds Yatsyna.

“We face a lot of challenges, but we also have answers – not for all questions, of course. But for the most. The bottom line is: when you’re in a crisis, you find a solution to that problem. And it’s not always a conventional solution because it is not a conventional problem.”

“People ask why we risk our life, health and peace to do this; our journalism is a responsibility within ourselves. Our profession shows the reality, speaks to truth, and trust – our trust in our work is about not walking away. We are not heroes; we are driven by love for our work and our country.”

Initially a voluntary startup, Kordon.Media now comprises a team of 20, with about 160 000 followers on social media, millions of views per week – and growing community support, with 200 locals subscribed.