2 February 2009: Internews Network asks all of its potential partners to fill out a questionnaire about their institutional capacity, using the open-source website www.SurveyMonkey.com. The survey will help provide an overall picture of the sustainability of the media-development sector and is the first step toward addressing the U-Media Project’s third objective – developing a more robust media sector that works to serve the professional interests of independent media.

February 2009: The U-Media project, with a group of external and internal media specialists, is scoring 39 media concepts submitted by 17 potential core partners. The proposed projects, which include civil society partners and media organizations, range from monitoring the quality and quantity of televised and printed news to establishing a nationwide investigative reporting network. After scoring, U-Media staff will work with partners to develop projects that will be funded for the first year of the project. Proposal writing and approval are expected to stretch into March, when grants will be made.

January 2009: U-Media Project partners are working on concepts that meet the goals of the extension of the U-Media Project in Ukraine. They received the call for concept papers in mid-December, and the grading of those concepts will begin at the end of January.

December 2008: With an expanded mission, U-Media begins its 6th year with new staff members and its first invitation to potential partners to submit concept papers for projects focusing on improving journalism standards and media law. Our new mandate focuses on media-civil society partnerships, new media technologies and delivery, citizen engagement and media literacy.

Press release on U-Media Project (PDF)

Natalia Ligacheva speaking to a group at GFMD

U-Media partner Telekritika editor Natalia Ligacheva, center, speaks to participants at the Global Forum for Media Development in Athens. She was joined by Taras Shevchenko, director of the Media Law Institute, left, and Tetyana Lebedeva, head of the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting, right, among others.

Natalia Ligacheva speaking to a group at GFMD

At the December conference, U-Media partner Viktoria Syumar, executive director of the Institute of Mass Information, moderates the GFMD discussion about Ukraine’s current media situation, attended by colleagues from the Newly Independent States.

View a short video about Natalia Ligacheva's accomplishments:

"Without Internews, we would not exist. They opened our eyes to the possibilities of TV, and they continue to support us . . . Internews not only told us how to make news, how to cover politics and how to be ethical, but it was also Internews that created the first non-governmental TV network."

— Alexander Karpov, General Manager, Afontovo TV, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

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