The Union of Journalists of Russia has applied for a presidential grant of 1.2 million rubles for the project "SVO Veterans — brave in battle, successful in peaceful life, or new participants in the Russian media community," discovered "Verstka"*.
As part of the project, participants in the invasion of Ukraine are to be trained in storytelling, data analysis, content production, and promotion. In this way, the Union of Journalists wants to form a "new generation of future media specialists" capable of "creating and restoring ideological and historical traditions, forming common meanings and criteria of being, and presenting them in engaging forms."
After training, the military will be able to create "podcasts and blogs" that will reveal the "positive image of SVO veterans," talk about "their contribution to the Victory cause, their human capital, and spiritual life." According to the authors of the application, course listeners "possess unique life and military experience," have a "strong emotional connection with the audience," and "inspire trust in them."
The authors of the project claim that they have already received 31 applications from participants in the war in Ukraine requesting to enroll in the course from 14 regions. A total of 50 "SVO veterans" are wanted for the first intake, but the project is expected to "expand to a federal scale."
To promote the course, the Union of Journalists plans to engage "leading Russian media" with an audience reach of over 14 million people, who will make a series of publications.
* Recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia.