- Wednesday, October 22, 2025
On October 21, at the Faculty of Philology of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University a meeting with journalist, writer, editor, and finalist of the 2021 Georgy Gongadze Prize, Marichka Paplauskaite took place. The event brought together students and faculty from the Department of Journalism, who had the opportunity to talk with the guest about journalism, working with sensitive topics, and the power of words in times of war.
The event was held as part of a series of Georgy Gongadze Prize events, which this year is of particular importance — as it marks the anniversary of the death of the journalist, whose figure has become a symbol of the struggle for freedom of speech in Ukraine.
Marichka Paplauskaite is a co-founder of The Ukrainians Media media group, editor-in-chief of Reporters magazine, and ambassador of the literary reportage genre in Ukraine. She is the author of the books “The God of Strange People and Other Sinners”, “The Train Arrives on Schedule” and co-author of the collection “77 Days of February”.
During the meeting, the journalist spoke about her professional path, in particular about creating texts based on real stories, and shared her experience working with topics that require special sensitivity and trust between the author and the hero. She paid special attention to the book “The Train Arrives on Schedule”, in which, through the stories of Ukrzaliznytsia employees, she showed how Ukrzaliznytsia (the railway transport company) became a symbol of the country’s resilience and unity during the war.
Having had the conversation, the students actively asked questions — about Marichka Paplauskaitė’s first reports, the difficulties of the profession, sources of inspiration and overcoming professional burnout.
The event was organized by the Georgy Gongadze Prize in partnership in partnership with the Department of Journalism of the Philological Faculty of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, with the support of the International Foundation "Vidrodzhenia" and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
The meeting with Marichka Paplauskaite became a space for a sincere conversation about journalism, humanity and the truth that the word carries.
