In Ukraine, a young media faces pressure from within and threats from without
Photographer: Ann Hermes
Exhibit Title: In Ukraine, a young media faces pressure from within and threats from without
Location: Ukraine
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, journalists in Ukraine inadvertently became wartime correspondents. At least11 Ukrainian journalists have died covering the frontlinesfollowing Russia’s invasion. Though the risks of conflict coverage might be well documented, a more subtle and alarming threat to press freedom has been building from within Ukraine.
After Zelensky’s administrationconsolidated Ukraine’s TV outletsearly in the war, dissenting voices have largely been shut out. Independent media outlets and digital media sites like Bihus.info, an investigative journalism site,was wiretapped by Ukraine’s domestic secret service (SBU)and there have been recent intimidation tacticsagainst local journalists covering corruption.The withdrawal of USAID created further challenges as many independent Ukrainian newsrooms relied on the agency for critical funding.
These pressures reflect the threat to a Ukrainian free press, which is still in its infancy. After decades ofsuspicious deathsandjournalist disappearancesfollowing investigations into government corruption, the current backslide is troubling.
Ann Hermes is a Brooklyn and Boston-based visual storyteller. Her personal work explores the roles that outdated, and often-overlooked people and institutions play in our history, culture and future.
She has worked in logistically challenging situations on national and international assignments for over 15 years as a staff photographer for The Christian Science Monitor and other regional news outlets. This work ranged from breaking news coverage of the Arab Spring in Egypt to in-depth stories following Syrian refugees in Eastern Europe. Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic and The New Republic. Her work exhibited at Photoville in New York City in 2024. She holds an MA in Journalism from The University of Missouri.
After years of experience in news photography, she is using her documentary expertise to create a visual exploration of the current critical era in journalism and uncover the potential harm that the loss of local newsrooms would bring to our democracy.
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