Here we present the 2012 AUP annual report for your attention. It includes brief information on the projects we were carrying out and on our achievements. The AUP appreciates the support of all organizations and professionals who helped us to reach our goals.

In 2012 the Academy continued to implement the following projects:

1. Political TV news content analysis monitoring

In 2012 we proceeded with our content analysis-based monitoring efforts targeting the top Ukrainian media, i. e. both quantitative and qualitative aspects were under study. That approach enabled us collecting the data on the quality of informing, balance and pluralism in the top media’s representation of the events. These media included eight top Ukrainian channels, i. e. the channels ranked highest in the ratings and traditionally having the biggest impact over the audience (Inter, 1+1, Novy channel, STB, ICTV, Ukraine), Pershy Natsionalny as a state-run channel, and TVi perceived as a key opposition channel. Within the pre-election campaign Channel 5 was also within the scope of attention. The monitoring became intense in the course of pre-election campaign and the election, when the AUP conducted 7 waves of content analysis monitoring survey with the support of the consortium of donors, comprising the International Renaissance Foundation, U-Media Project and the British Embassy in Ukraine.

The election report (in English and Ukrainian) is available athttps://www.aup.com.ua/uploads/zvit-en.pdf

The total number of content analysis monitoring waves within 2012 was 11.

The archive of all content analysis monitoring surveys is available at: https://aup.com.ua/?cat=monitoring&subcat=newst

The survey scientific supervisors:
prof. Valery Ivanov, Doctor of Philology, the Academy of Ukrainian Press, President.
prof. Natalya Kostenko – Doctor of Sociology, Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Sociology of culture and mass communication department, chief.
проф. Сергій Макеєв - Doctor of Sociology, Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Social structures department, chief.

Project goal – to improve the access of the public to information disseminated by mass media, contribute to better media literacy level and promote professionalism in the work of mass media of Ukraine; to enhance their accountability to the public through content analysis monitoring of news broadcast by digital mass media.

Media and experts frequently cited and referred to the AUP monitoring survey findings.

2. Media education development and implementation

Media education encompasses theory studies and practical skills to master up-to-date mass media. Media education is one of the sustainable and well tested methods to build demand for the quality mass media content. Media literacy constitutes one of the logical anticipated outputs of the media education process: it is an ability to adequately perceive and interpret media texts. To our opinion, it is at the present moment that the public acutely needs media literacy skills, because one can observe a very strong trend of powerful political and corporate control over key media resources.

Media education has been implemented in developed democracies for two decades already. The access to media education in its various formats serves as an indicator for fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and the right to information as significant tools to support democracy.

The AUP mission provides for installation of media education into the education process through training and support for the group of media education leaders: teachers and professors as well as adoption of the international experience on media education.

In 2012 we may observe the progress in promoting media education ideas and introducing the pilot courses (optional courses); these activities were undertaken in 2010-2012. However, still it is the issue of training teachers and professors as well as methodology support for instruction process that constitute the most urgent problems in the field.

Training programs for higher education institution’s professors

In February and August 2012 the AUP held on Winter School and 2 Summer Schools for professors of regional-based Institutes of continuing pedagogic education and regular pedagogic universities as well as for secondary school teachers. 47 professionals were trained within the frame of these schools. Majority of them currently started media education courses at their continuing educations institutions and pedagogic schools (integrated as special optional courses) and at high schools (teaching “Media culture” subject and within the frame of other subjects – integrated).

Within 2012 the AUP experts developed and held four “Practical media education” workshops, two “Audio visual literacy” workshops and three “How to create an up-to-date school newspaper” seminars; these efforts covered almost all those involved in the national experiment on introducing media education at high schools and the teachers from the schools where media education is being implemented as an integrated discipline.

Since May 2012 the AUP web site features an online library of resources for a media education teacher or professor: https://www.aup.com.ua/?cat=education&subcat=library.

The AUP has promoted implementation of “Media education” course at regional institutes of continuing pedagogic education

Upon attending the studies within the frame of Winter and Summer schools the professors of regional institutes of continuing pedagogic education deliver several courses and special courses for various groups of teachers and professors who are provided with continuing education courses at respective regional institutions.

• Introductory lectures on media education for various groups of pedagogues provided with continuing education courses at regional higher education institutions;
• Special courses and lectures for psychological services’ staff with a focus on an personal mental security while using media; ;
• Special mini-courses on practical media education, covering teachers of a specific school or a group of schools; ;
• “Media education for a teacher” practical classes. 7 alumni (in the regions (oblasts) where the national experiment is in progress) coordinate the work of 89 schools (10-15 in each oblast) on introducing media education into a high school curriculum. ;

In September 2012 the AUP completed the work on “Media education and media literacy” manual, the first of its kind in Ukraine. The manual’s authors, top Ukrainian and international experts, collected the most advanced techniques in the sphere of training university students in the area of media education, media literacy and media culture. In partnership with the Innovation Technologies and Contents of Education Institute, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport we disseminated the manual via direct mail to all pedagogic higher education institutions and continuing education institutions in Ukraine. The manual’s publishing was supported by the International Renaissance Foundation.

Support for the teachers and professors’ network

The AUP has created and supports the Google groupaupmediastudy@googlegroups.com. The group includes around 200 media education professionals. This media education social network is supposed to improve the quality of media education in the regions through professional discussion and experience sharing among media education teachers and professors. Joining the network and use of resources are free.

Regional centers to support media education teachers

In 2012 the AUP launched regional centers on implementing media education. They were launched in two regions featuring the biggest groups of media education professionals and training facilities – in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (the group of cinema and media education professionals work within the frame of Crimean branch of the Association of cinema education professionals and “Movies and video films distribution and exhibition” Crimean republican institution (headed by O. Kutsenko) and in Kharkiv – at Kharkiv Continuing Education Academy (media education is taught by H. A. Dehtyaryova, PhD, the Academy Secretary).

“Standards of journalism”, the series of workshops for students of journalism

This year the AUP proceeded with conducting a series of workshops for students of journalism at regional universities in cooperation with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Commission of Journalist Ethics.

School of social journalism

Since 2007 we have been implementing the School of social journalism initiative. Within the frame of the School the topics critically important for the society are raised; these topics are often overlooked by mass media while informing the public.

In 2012 the following trainings were conducted: “How to write about economics understandably” in partnership with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom; “How to write about judicial and legal reform” and “How to write about energy reform” in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Foundation Office in Ukraine.

The visit of Mimi Chakarova, US journalist, expert in investigative journalism

Mimi Chakarova, well-known US photo and documentary filmmaker, and AUP staff visited universities in Kyiv, Zaporizhya, Berdyansk and Mariupol where public lectures were delivered for students of journalism.

Publications

The AUP proceeded with publishing new entries within the frame of Mass Communication Library series; the series includes around 100 publications already. In 2012 the following ones were published: “Media education and media literacy”, “Web 2.0”, “Media education and media literacy: a brief overview”, “Economic journalism”, Media education (media literacy) curriculum.

The training program for journalists – a series of workshop for journalists - “How to cover the switch to digital broadcasting” was carried out in Ukraine for the first time.

AUP trained 65 regional media journalists how to cover the digitalization processes in Ukraine. Now they are qualified enough to provide the Ukrainians with information on tentative strategies of digitalization and its possible consequences for TV audience.

• the access of mass media professionals to the international experience of digitalization is ensured; the experience on various methods of using platforms is shared;
• the access of journalists – the project participants to sources of information on the progress in digitalization processes is ensured;
• the special information product – policy brief – was drafted; it includes the key trends in Ukraine as regards switch to digital broadcasting format

Membership in the international organizations and initiatives

AUP is a member of the Global Fund on Media Development (GFMD) – the network uniting around 350 non-government organizations that support the development of independent mass media at the local, national and regional levels in 100 countries of Asia, Africa, Near East, Europe, Eurasia and America.

In 2012 AUP joined ECREA, the academic association, ensuring knowledge sharing of scholars in the area of media, communications and higher education in Europe and abroad.

AUP is a member of Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.

Geography: In 2012 AUP conducted various events in Lviv, Ternopil, Zaporizhya, Dnipropetrovsk, Sevastopol, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mariupol, Mykolayiv, Simpheropil, Odesa, Luhansk.

AUP continues to work on building its own organizational capacity.

Our partners:
Dnipropetrovsk Regional Continuing Pedagogic Education Institute
Telekrytyka NGO
“Ukraine” Internet Association
Institute of Innovation Technologies and Contents of Education, Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sport of Ukraine
Institute of Social and Political Psychology, National Academy of Pedagogic Sciences of Ukraine
Commission of Journalists Ethics
National Association of Journalists of Ukraine
Independent Association of Broadcasters
Internews Ukraine
Zaporizhya Regional Continuing Education Institute
Luhansk Regional Continuing Pedagogic Education Institute
Mariupol State University
National Association of Filmmakers of Ukraine
Mechnikov Odesa National University
Poltava Regional Continuing Pedagogic Education Institute
Polish Institute
Konrad Adenauer Foundation Office in Ukraine
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Office in Ukraine
V. Dal Eastern European University
Kharkiv Academy of Continuing Education
Kherson Academy of Continuing Education
Chernihiv Regional Continuing Pedagogic Education Institute
Media reforms Center
Ukrainian Association of Press Publishers
Ukrainian Catholic University
IBB Dortmund gGmbH
FOJO

Budget 2012 (USD)

AUP expresses its gratitude to experts and trainers the Academy cooperates with:
V. Balytsky
O. Bolshakova
L. Humenyuk
H. Dehtyaryova
D. Dzyuba
D. Dutsyk
T. Ivanova
N. Kostenko
A, Kulakov
L. Kulchytska
O. Kutsenko
S. Makeyev
D. Makoveyenko
V. Mostovy
L. Naydyonova
I. Nehreyeva
L. Novikova
O. Pashkova
I. Petrenko
N. Petrova
I. Poltavets
H. Pocheptsov
O. Telemko
S. Trymbach
I. Chelisheva
O. Fedorov
S. Chernyavsky
O. Khomenok