Yulia Starostina
Yulia Starostina is a journalist from Russia. She worked for several Russian independent media outlets such as the IStories, the Proekt media and Meduza — all of which were banned by Russian authorities.
She investigated the corruption of President Putin’s family and of other government officials.
She was found guilty of “discrediting” the Russian army by publicly saying that “love is stronger than war” and that she feels “responsibility not to be silent [and] to do something to bring this war to an end.”
Yulia is a topic expert for Ukraine and Russia.
What next?
If you could meet Yulia, what would you ask her about this topic? Let us know in the comments below. Or have a go at Yulia's challenge here.
Comments (4)
If I could meet Yulia Starostina, I would ask her the questions below:
1. Were you a Journalist that experienced all these challenges?
2. How do you report the truth when it is so dangerous?
3. What is your hope for peace with all the destruction?
4. What do you think can help stop the war between Russia and Ukraine?
Some of the questions I would ask her are
1. Did the Russian government ever ban you from speaking up?
2. Has anybody rewarded you for your endless work to say the truth?
3. Is there anything you heard about Ukraine that you later discovered that is not true?
4. Have you ever thought about giving up when it was hard?
5. Have you thought of ways to fix other environmental or political issues that you were concerned about?
If I ever get to meet Yulia, I'd ask her these questions: what motivated you to become a journalist? and what makes you think that love is stronger than war? what changes have you visibly made by protesting and speaking out about the problem of journalists?
First of all it would be a great pleasure to meet Yulia and if I had the chance to meet her , I would ask her how independent journalists like herself continue their work despite facing censorship and threats? What motivates her to keep exposing truth, even at the times ,when the risks are very high?
I would also love to hear her perspective on how international communities can support independent journalism in countries where press freedom is under attack . Does she believe social media and digital platforms have helped journalists bypass censorship or have they made it more dangerous?