Donbas Media Forum

Donbas Media Forum (DMF) is an annual conference that brings together journalists, editors, media managers, and experts from Ukraine and around the world to discuss pressing challenges in the media sphere, share experiences, and strengthen professional networks. Founded in 2015 by the media organization DII-Ukraine, the forum emerged as a response to the difficult conditions faced by journalism in Donetsk and Luhansk regions following the war launched by Russia against Ukraine in 2014. The mission of Donbas Media Forum is to create a safe and open space for dialogue, support, and the development of the media community amid conflict and crisis. The forum not only helps restore professional connections but also shapes new standards for quality, responsible journalism that counters disinformation, censorship, and the challenges of our time. Over the past 10 years, DMF has grown into the largest media event in Ukraine, attracting hundreds of participants and speakers from across the country and abroad. The forum’s program includes panel discussions, workshops, training sessions, presentations of new tools and technologies, documentary film screenings by media professionals, public interviews, as well as a platform for exchanging ideas on supporting freedom of speech and media literacy. The forum serves as a venue where trends are born and collective responses to the challenges of modern journalism are formed. It unites media experts, human rights defenders, activists, and representatives of the international community to support Ukraine’s media industry during war and transformation. Donbas Media Forum is more than just a conference — it is a community of like-minded professionals standing guard over core journalistic values and helping preserve the voice of independent journalism, even in the most difficult times. We invite you to join our community, follow updates, and be part of the future of Ukrainian media.