Ukrainian writer Oleksandr Mykhed, in an interview with Sensor Media, expressed frustration over foreign publishers' reluctance to publish his book 'Job’s Call Sign: Chronicles of the Invasion' on the Russo-Ukrainian war, citing an abundance of literature on the topic as a reason. This sentiment was echoed by other Ukrainian voices who criticized Western media, particularly The New Yorker and its writer @mashagessen, for preferring Russian and foreign writers to cover Ukrainian issues. They argued that Ukrainian authors are often perceived as too emotionally invested, while Russian writers are seen as more objective. The New Yorker's staff writer @mashagessen was also accused of legitimizing the Russian occupation by referring to contested regions as 'previously Ukrainian territory'. The debate extended to discussions about the qualifications and backgrounds of those reporting on Ukraine, with some suggesting that not living in Ukraine or speaking Ukrainian undermines the credibility of their reporting.
The critique is this- Ukraine has been one of the most poorly-covered places in international media. If you don't live here, speak the language, and have some serious background knowledge, you probably shouldn't be opening as a journo. No, being born in the USSR doesn't count. https://t.co/Zbw4bq3CGY
I see people calling @mashagessen a coloniser over their Ukraine piece - conveniently forgetting that they’re Jewish. If we play this weird oppression olympics to determine who gets to write about Ukraine, shouldn’t the region’s most oppressed people — Jews — be front & center?
🤡The Russian national who reports about Ukraine does not speak Ukrainian and does not reside in Ukraine It is equivalent to ask a North Korean to report about the US without setting a foot in New York https://t.co/NnHggDywSk
Isn’t it “funny” how literally 99% of the time all the big publishers will avoid actual Ukrainians with their actual experiences of this invasion like a plague but have no trouble publishing russians with their “views” on the experiences of our nation? Time and time again
Just a staff New Yorker writer casually legitimizing occupation by calling regions violently occupied by russia "previously Ukrainian territory". Whose territory is it, @mashagessen? https://t.co/g1tBcFCYSC
Western media thinking: Hmmm... A Ukrainian author may be too emotionally invested. Better get a russian. They'll be more objective. https://t.co/TWFh47xdsY
Ukrainian voices that I follow are deeply upset by the @NewYorker's decision to run this piece on Ukraine's democracy by @mashagessen, a USSR-born American journalist. I think this in generally unfair - to judge a text or opinion by the ethnicity or background of its author.… https://t.co/ZRnwRVzd8X
Oh shut the fuck up, @NewYorker . Why must we always have russians and foreigners getting to write the long reads on Ukraine while Ukrainians can't get a book published? https://t.co/QGLVFI28Re
"There are enough books on the Russo-Ukrainian war," — Ukrainian writer Oleksandr Mykhed revealed the reasons why some foreign publishers refused to publish his book “Job’s Call Sign: Chronicles of the Invasion” in an interview published by Sensor Media. Here are the main… https://t.co/WnVShxXSk8