Miscellaneous
In this episode, Alisa Sopova spoke about the way war is reported and documented in the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR versus the rest of Ukraine. She explained her frustration with the Ukrainian media calling the Eastern territories "Mordor” or “black holes”, and talked about her personal decision to avoid the increasingly prevalent tactics of an information war by adhering to classic, objective journalism. Sopova expressed her belief that reconciliation could occur if people on both sides of the conflict were able to communicate and realize the similarities between their traumatic experiences. Speaking about the future, the journalist described her desire for Russia to recognize Ukraine as a sovereign state and for the EU to see Ukraine as an example of what happens when populist politicians successfully rewrite the public narrative and promote the polarization of populations. [Date of interview: April 3, 2017]