Today, Voice of America’s Ukrainian team received the 2023 David Burke Distinguished Journalism Award for its coverage of the war in Ukraine beginning with Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
As stated in the award citation, the team demonstrated high professionalism and dedication as the invasion unfolded. These efforts made VOA Ukrainian a critical news source not only for millions of Ukrainians, but also for other media outlets who, in a 12-month span, quoted or used VOA Ukrainian content more than 4,100 times. In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, the team significantly increased its programming output and provided hundreds of live TV interactives for its affiliates, delivering fact-based news and information to Ukrainians as Russia was spreading its propaganda about the war. These efforts earned the audience’s trust and resulted in millions of Ukrainians turning to VOA for live, accurate and comprehensive reporting.
In addition, VOA Ukrainian stayed at the forefront of the rapidly developing news on U.S. and Western support for Ukraine. The team broke the news in June 2022 of the White House confirmation that the U.S and its allies were supplying anti-ship missiles to Ukraine.
From Washington to Kyiv, VOA Ukrainian reporters landed high-level interviews and provided comprehensive and balanced coverage of discussions within the U.S. Congress and the White House, as well as opinions from reputable experts, on all aspects of the war. These interviews were quoted by more than 400 outlets, including Politico, The Daily Beast, the BBC and top-rated news media in Ukraine.
“Wholehearted congratulations to our VOA Ukrainian team,” said Acting VOA Director Yolanda Lόpez. “As the war presented unprecedented reporting challenges, the VOA Ukrainian team delivered by combating Russia’s disinformation and propaganda and offering our audience unique content they can trust.”
The U.S. Agency for Global Media presents the David Burke Distinguished Journalism Awards annually to recognize the courage, integrity and professionalism of journalists working for each of the five USAGM networks.
