KYIV, 13 October 2023 – The first television lesson in Ukraine dedicated to media literacy reached near a million audience, the UNDP-supported “Filter” National Media Literacy Project has announced.

More than 70,000 users watched the lesson broadcast on YouTube, while over 30,000 watched it on TV. Another 185,000 users went to the National Media Literacy Project’s "Filter" website, and the total media coverage amounted to almost 600,000 contacts with the audience.

This year, the all-Ukrainian media literacy lesson was dedicated to the unity of society, which can be ensured by its informational stability.

During the lesson, experts talked about the main informational stereotypes that can divide society today, explained how not to become a victim of media manipulation, how to distinguish misinformation and provocations, how to recognize bots and trolls, and more.

Valeria Kovtun, head of the “Filter” National Media Literacy Project, said the group had been pleasantly surprised by the level of audience engagement. 

“Schools watched our lesson with whole classes and proactively shared information about it,” Kovtun said. “Often there were actually dozens of viewers per one view on YouTube. I think we succeeded in achieving the goal, and this broadcast became a real unity lesson and a contribution to the common cause of unity of Ukrainians."

Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said the All-Ukrainian unity lesson became an example of how the subject of media literacy could be popularized among a wide audience in an easy and accessible way. 

“We understand the importance of developing this skill in school, and this initiative is evidence of our strategic approach,” Shevchenko said. “This year we scaled-up the lesson thanks to the partnership with the Public Broadcaster."

Mykola Chernotytskyi, chairman of the board of “Suspilne” Public Broadcasting noted: "This initiative is an example of an extremely successful synergy between a state project, a public broadcaster, and international donors. We’re proud to have been part of this important event."

Christophoros Politis, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine, said ensuring media literacy is important for both human and economic development. "Not  just in guarding against potential threats, but also in the revitalization and advancing the entire country," he said.The National media literacy lesson was made possible due to the cooperation between the "Filter" National Project of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, and “Suspilne” Public Broadcasting, with technical support from UNDP in Ukraine and financial support from the Government of Japan.

Media enquiries: Yulia Samus, Head of Communications at UNDP Ukraine; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org