LMF 2025 Summary: The New Journalism of War — When Words Become Deeds

On May 15-17, Lviv welcomed the eleventh international conference LMF 2025. Its focus topic was Speak the Unspoken: Choices, Decisions, ‍Responsibility. The event was attended by over 550 participants from 26 countries.

“To speak the unspoken is a mission we share — journalists, civic leaders, cultural figures, public servants, politicians. How will we know we’re making progress? When solidarity for democracy and human rights moves from closed rooms and social media into the streets and polling stations. When peace plans rest on facts and deliver justice, rather than handing a bloody burden to the next generation. When identities cease to be targets of physical or political attack, and a person’s right to live no longer demands someone’s death,” proclaimed Ola Myrovych, the head of the Lviv Media Forum, at the opening of LMF 2025.

The event was attended by over 550 participants from 26 countries. LMF 2025 traditionally brought together media professionals, public intellectuals, researchers, policy makers, representatives of the public sector and international organizations.

The program consisted of two streams: Frankly Spoken and Smartly Done. More than 20 events took place as part of LMF 2025, including discussions, speeches, and workshops. 

The keynote speakers of the event included writer, an associate senior analyst at the New Europe Center and a paramedic with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion Kateryna Zarembo and Brenthurst Foundation Director Greg Mills. You can watch the recording of their speeches here (in English).

Kateryna Zarembo, in particular, shared her thoughts on what Ukrainians and foreigners can do to win the war. “If you think you are not doing enough, do more. (...) I am primarily talking about your conscience. It does not lie. The truth is: you can do enough. Enough within the possibilities of your life and the scope of your personality. Your conscience will tell you when you reach this point, when you can say to yourself in all honesty: “I am doing the most I can,” the keynote speaker emphasized.

In a keynote public talk, historian and journalist Anne Applebaum and philosopher, journalist, and writer Volodymyr Yermolenko discussed how a democratic society can resist modern autocracies. A recording of the discussion is available here.

“This is my eighth or ninth trip to Ukraine since February 2022. I am inspired by the resilience and creativity of Ukrainians. I feel lucky enough to know both people in the volunteer world here who are creating institutions that last and continue to serve people. I am lucky to know people in the defense technology sector who are dedicated to making sure that Ukraine is on the cutting edge of every new idea. (...) There are really almost no countries in the world right now where society is putting so much energy in both taking care of itself and taking care of veterans. These are the symptoms of a really healthy society,” shared Anne Applebaum.

The curator of the LMF 2025 cultural program is a cultural manager, critic, and author Yevhenia Nesterovych. “I tried to gather projects in the cultural program that are in dialogue with this topic. And I started this conversation with the artists as follows: let's try to show, in fact, why we make these difficult decisions and take on this difficult responsibility to continue to fight. Because it seems to me that the question is often formulated by foreigners as follows: are these losses worth what you want?” said the curator of the cultural program.

Four exhibitions were on display at the location, including works by Oleksandr Neselenko, Teresa Barabash, and Prince Buba. The cultural program also included the installation “The Only Material” about the topics with which Ukrainian journalists entered the profession. 

As part of the cultural program, the Memorial presented The Names We Keep, an interactive installation dedicated to Ukrainian journalists killed by Russia and fallen defenders. It began with the names of the first victims written in calligraphy and invited participants to add new names-those whose stories should not be erased or forgotten.

This year, the digital platform The Gaze and the YouTube channel UATV English—both part of the state-run International Broadcasting Multimedia Platform of Ukraine—joined Lviv Media Forum 2025 as media partners.

Editors from the International Broadcasting Platform actively participated in the forum’s professional discussions and networking sessions.