«Trust is the currency of the media», — editor-in-chief of NikVesti Kateryna Sereda at Donbas Media Forum

Trust as the main capital: what was discussed at the Donbas Media Forum. Photo by IMI

How can local and national media retain the trust of the audience, develop communities and not lose quality in the fight for views — these were the topics discussed at the Donbas Media Forum.

Kateryna Sereda, editor-in-chief of NikVesti, stressed that trust for regional media is the result of daily interaction with readers, the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) reports.

«For NikVesti, trust is a currency without which the media makes no sense. It also means responsibility, honesty and presence. It is not just an attitude of readers, but a way of working. Every day we prove that journalism can be honest, attentive and humane even in the most difficult times,» says Kateryna Sereda.

Advertising

The NikVesti telegram channel has 35,000 subscribers, and the editorial team is actively developing Instagram and TikTok. The journalists are experimenting with formats ranging from Reels to short, concise cards.

«We are the only media outlet in the Mykolaiv region that has left comments in the Telegram open. We consider this important because we can immediately see the reaction to our work. People send additional information, report problems, and we try to respond immediately,» said Sereda.

Sereda added that trust is built through community engagement. In 2025, the editorial office launched the Readers' Club, which has already attracted about 60 people. Community members not only support the publication financially, but also influence the topics of the materials.

«This is a closed chat where we communicate more closely and consult. For example, when we are planning a press conference with local authorities, we turn to our readers and ask them what they would like us to ask,» said Kateryna Sereda, editor-in-chief of the online media outlet NikVesti.

Sereda also recalled that during the first months of the full-scale war, NikVesti survived thanks to the help of readers:

«We lost all our funding, but people donated 30, 50, 100 hryvnias each, and we were able to keep the team together.»

In terms of technology, the editorial team uses artificial intelligence only as an auxiliary tool, for example, to optimise the site's admin area or create illustrations with an AI note. Last year, the site received more than 4 million unique views

«In 2022, Google imposed sanctions on us because we had no authorship in the news, we simply dropped out of the search engine, and lost everything. And over the past year, we have had more than 4 million unique views on our website. This is a significant growth for us and a very good indicator for the region,» said Kateryna Sereda.

Sereda stressed that the main task of local journalists is to be closer to people.

«While the local authorities are very detached from the population, from their voters, we remain the only opponents of these authorities and point out the problems that need to be solved. And we see changes happening after our publications. And our readers see this. And this builds trust. Readers know that if they contact journalists, journalists will respond. And then the authorities, who had previously ignored them, will react,» explains Kateryna Sereda.

As a reminder, starting from 24 February 2022, 30 media outlets were forced to cease operations in Mykolaiv region. The region is one of the four leaders in this indicator in the country.