Defender Media receives international Journalism Trust Initiative certificate

The Defender Media team received international certification from the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) – a standard developed to enhance media transparency and strengthen trust in journalism. The publication successfully completed an independent external audit in less than two months. Based on its results, Defender Media confirmed compliance with JTI professional and ethical standards.

JTI certification involves the assessment of media transparency, editorial practices, and accountability mechanisms. It helps readers, partners, and other media market participants evaluate the reliability and accountability of news publications.

“The achievement of international JTI certification for such a young media outlet as ours, and in such a short timeframe, is a remarkable event in Ukrainian journalism. Behind this recognition stands a small but highly motivated and professional team of journalists and editors who maintain high standards of work and work daily to ensure that Defender Media remains a reliable source of information for our audience. For us, this is not only recognition of what we have already accomplished, but also motivation to maintain this standard in the future,” – says Defender Media co-founder and CEO Den Smyrnov.

Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) is an international standard for news media, initiated by the organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and developed with the participation of 130 international experts. JTI defines criteria for media transparency and identity, professional journalistic standards, and accountability mechanisms. The official standard document was published by the European Committee for Standardisation in December 2019.

Defender Media’s transparency report can be viewed via this link.

Among other prominent Ukrainian media outlets that have joined the initiative are NV.ua, Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, and LIGA.net.