Медіа: Misto i richka

Context

Municipal awards and symbolic recognition shape public perceptions of who is considered important to a city’s history and identity. Yet the gender dimension of such decisions often remains outside public attention. In Dnipro, the title Honorary Citizen of the City has historically been awarded predominantly to men, reflecting not only past practices but also contemporary mechanisms of visibility and recognition.

What was done

The newsroom Misto i Richka prepared an analytical article that:

• showed that only four women are among Dnipro’s honorary citizens;
• raised the issue of gender inequality in public recognition and women’s visibility;
• publicly asked the city and its residents: Why does women’s contribution so rarely receive official recognition?

How it was implemented

• The editorial team analyzed the lists of honorary citizens and conducted a statistical comparison of the number of men and women.
• The material was presented as a public inquiry and investigative-style analytical text intended to encourage discussion.
• The article was adapted for social media in order to reach audiences beyond the website’s regular readership.

Impact

The publication drew attention to a topic that had previously been largely absent from the regional media agenda: gender inequality in symbolic municipal recognition. It stimulated public discussion about women’s role in the life of Dnipro and about the mechanisms through which urban memory is constructed.

Natalia Kulidi, editor-in-chief of Misto i Richka, emphasizes that the role of a local media outlet is to identify stories of gender injustice and bring them into the public sphere, initiating discussion as a first step toward restoring women’s voices. According to her, the newsroom deliberately sought to present women’s stories through a contemporary lens, which is why it chose a comic-style illustration format — “as if we were inscribing our heroines into the contemporary context of the city.”

“We are a newsroom that is 90% women, so naturally we want to support ‘our own’ wherever we can,” she adds.

What other media can learn

• Raise gender and social issues even when they are not considered an obvious part of the local news agenda.
• Use data and concrete examples to support public-interest criticism.
• Treat urban symbolism as a subject of journalistic analysis, not only as a source of news.

Context

Urban history is usually recorded through male names, while women’s contributions often remain marginalized or disappear from collective memory altogether. In the case of Dnipro, this means losing a significant part of the city’s own history, from the era of Katerynoslav to the present day.

What was done

For International Women’s Day, the editorial team launched the special project “Women of the City on the River”, dedicated to outstanding women of Dnipro. The project:

• combined long-form articles with active repackaging for social media;
• featured original illustrations by Dnipro-based artist Stasia Velikodna, created in a comic-book style;
• highlighted the issue of gender visibility, noting that throughout the city’s history only eight women have received the title of honorary citizen.

How it was implemented

• Journalists worked together with historians to recover the names and biographies of prominent women from Dnipro.
• The visual component became a separate storytelling tool: the illustrations “brought the heroines to life” and made the project visually distinctive.
• The project combined historical context, contemporary art, and a social message, making it accessible to a broader audience.

Impact

For the first time, historical women figures of Dnipro were brought back into the public information space through a vivid visual language. Active distribution of the materials on social media increased their visibility and audience engagement. The project became an example of how local journalism can help restore historical justice and create a more inclusive image of the city.

What other media can learn

• Highlight marginalized women’s histories within urban and cultural contexts.
• Combine journalism with art and visual storytelling.
• Use social media and interactive formats to engage new audiences and amplify the impact of journalistic projects.