Suspilne Ukraine’s extensive regional network of journalists, along with the support of civil society and international partners, helped the broadcaster withstand the challenges of the full-scale war and preserve its independence. This was emphasized by Mariya Frey, Member of the Managing Board of Suspilne Ukraine responsible for News and Regional Content, during the discussion “From informing to understanding: how public service media help societies in times of crisis” at LMF 2026.
“We are deeply connected with civil society organizations in Ukraine. They are our driving force for change. And our greatest strength as a media organization is journalists in the field and our network of local journalists — people who work on the ground and provide information directly from communities to communities,” said Mariya Frey. She added: “The biggest supporter of Suspilne Ukraine is society itself. We must always remember that public service media are created for people, and people should support you.”
Mariya Frey also stressed that the emergence of Suspilne Ukraine was a response to public demand rather than a political decision.
“It is not a political question whether to have public service media or not. It is a public question. And this is what makes Ukraine very different from many other European countries. In Ukraine, there was public demand for Suspilne Ukraine. There were people fighting for it, while politicians were only the instrument for creating the legislation,” said the Managing Board member.
According to her, editorial independence today requires not only strong journalists, but also independent management capable of protecting newsrooms and making responsible decisions.
“There is never a calm time for independent media. It is a daily struggle and a daily fight. Independent media need not only independent journalists, but also independent management,”Mariya Frey said.
The panel also featured Chris Liu, Vice President of Radio Taiwan International, and Tamar Kintsurashvili, Executive Director and co-founder of Media Development Foundation in Georgia. The discussion was moderated by Kristian-Zsolt Varga, a German-Hungarian independent journalist covering Ukraine, Hungary, and Eastern Europe. The conversation focused on the role of public service media during war and crises, trust in media, editorial independence, and cooperation with civil society. The panel was held in partnership with Sweden and International Media Support.
LMF is an international conference and platform for discussing media, journalism, communications, and social challenges, held annually in Lviv.
Suspilne Ukraine is an independent media company with a strong presence across all platforms: the TV channels Pershyi, Suspilne Kultura, Suspilne Sport, and a national network of local channels; the radio stations Ukrainske Radio, Radio Promin, Radio Kultura, Radiotochka. Find only verified news on suspilne.media, as well as on our national and local digital platforms. We broadcast in minority languages, represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, develop the children’s platform Brobaks, and train media professionals through the Public Media Academy. Our Suspilne Mediateka platform offers unique video and audio archives dating from the 1920s to today. Defending freedom in Ukraine.
Photo by Nastia Telikova for LMF 2026
