The Fix Media

YouTube video by The Fix Media Zetland’s global ambitions

🎧 Listen to the full conversation on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts:

▶️ Youtube 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE17...

🎵 Spotify 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/5Umo...

🍏 Apple 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/z...

OR other platforms 👉 pod.link/1834171300/e...

@zetland.dk's co-founder and international director, Jakob Moll, joins The Fix’s senior editor, Anton Protsiuk, to discuss their international expansion, including plans to launch in Germany, and where AI helps drive global growth.

YouTube video by The Fix Media Zetland’s global ambitions

Zetland has been one of the leading reader-funded digital publishers in Europe. Over the past few years, they have successfully expanded their model from Denmark's home market to Finland and Norway by launching sister publications @uusijuttu.fi and Demo, respectively.

Russia’s Telegram slowdown draws the loudest complaints from pro-Kremlin media makers Pro-war military bloggers and religious influencers are among the most vocal critics

Learn more about Moscow's war on information in @verosnoj.bsky.social's latest piece 👇

Amid Russia’s recent crackdown on Telegram, the loudest complaints didn't come from independent reporters, but from pro-Kremlin military bloggers who had built audiences that only a few major independent media outlets and figures can match on the platform, but now face audience declines of up to 15%

How Ukrainian media are surviving the 2025/2026 winter energy crisis As Russia targets energy infrastructure amid freezing temperatures, newsrooms are turning to inverters, coworking hubs, and community support to stay online.

For Ukrainian journalists, winter turned into a battle for both information and basic warmth. As strikes on the grid coincide with record frosts, newsrooms are finding ways to operate in near-total darkness. We discussed how they survive with Cukr's Alona Serhiienko and Babel's Vsevolod Sevastianov.

Teams of 2–4 from media organisations in eligible European countries aiming to address challenges like revenue instability, audience retention, or over‑dependence on a single funder or platform are invited to participate.

📅 Apply by 15 March

💬 Questions: mediablendhack@gmail.com

€5,000 kick‑off grants for 3 winning teams, travel support for selected finalist teams, mentorship, pitch coaching, and a digital simulation game to stress‑test your ideas are up for grabs.

The MEDIA BLEND HACKATHON 2026 will take place in Vienna on 4–6 May.

It is a hands‑on, three‑day event where journalists, editors, and product and business leads prototype new, sustainable business models for their media organisations.

👉 Apply here: forms.gle/5xTJoMi7NgvP...

Russia’s Telegram slowdown draws the loudest complaints from pro-Kremlin media makers Pro-war military bloggers and religious influencers are among the most vocal critics

New from The Fix – in February, Russia began blocking Telegram, one of the country’s most popular messaging and blogging platforms across the political spectrum. The strongest backlash came from platform’s most privileged users: pro-Kremlin voices. @verosnoj.bsky.social looked into this standoff.

Technical assistance for Ukrainian media: “Voices of Ukraine” by The Fix Foundation and ECPMF Applications are open to all types of media, including print and online outlets, as well as radio and television.

Learn more 👇

The program provides critical equipment: power sources & communication tools for Ukrainian media. Priority is given to regional, frontline, and hyperlocal outlets.

Apply for technical assistance of up to €10,000 per organisation& €1,600 per journalist: forms.gle/fFdndmUewFXK...

Deadline: 16 March

The Fix Foundation & @ecpmf.bsky.social continue providing technical assistance to Ukrainian media through the “Voices of Ukraine” program, with the goal of ensuring uninterrupted work for journalists at risk.

▪️Energy resilience remains the most critical need. Miraslau shared a story of a regional newsroom where work was entirely dictated by the blackout schedule until they received a portable power station – and a broadcaster that switched to a generator moments before a live program after a power cut.

▪️The core of current support is flexible technical equipment grants – up to €10K per media outlet and €1,600 per journalist/freelancer. Newsrooms define what they actually need: in summer it’s phones, cameras; in winter it’s power stations, batteries & power banks to keep working through blackouts.

▪️Over four years, the work evolved from crisis mode to structured support. Since 2024, Foundation has supported over 400 journalists & ±113 media organsations overall, with 58 media supported in 2025 alone through the Voices of Ukraine program (run with European Centre for Press and Media Freedom).

Key points from our conversation:

▪️The Fix Foundation’s support for Ukrainian media started as emergency response in 2022, when approximately 4 million euros were raised for the sector – around 3 million went to sustain six months of operations for 13 leading national outlets.

In the latest episode of FixEd, we spoke with The Fix Foundation’s Miraslau Chyhir about the support the Foundation – The Fix Media’s sister organisation – provides to Ukrainian media.

In 2022, the priority for Ukrainian media was survival – helmets, bulletproof vests, and emergency funds to keep the lights on. Today, the challenge has shifted to long-term sustainability.

Denník N goes to Brussels: why the Slovak daily acquired EUobserver Interview with Tomáš Bella, Denník N’s co-founder and EUobserver’s new CEO.

Slovakia's @dennikn.bsky.social says its Ukraine frontline coverage is better than most English-language media – and now it's bringing that to Brussels through @euobserver.com. Tomáš Bella expains what changes will occur after the acquisition.

Four years into the war, Russia tries to grind down Ukraine’s society – and its media Audience fatigue and economic disruption are some of the most serious challenges Ukrainian publishers face.

Audience fatigue and economic disruption are among the most serious challenges Ukrainian publishers face 48 months after Russia's full-scale invasion, Anton Protsiuk writes.

YouTube video by The Fix Media Checking in on Ukraine’s media market four years into the all-out war

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube or elsewhere:

▶️ Youtube 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o9e...
🎵 Spotify 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/1lys...
🍏 Apple 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
OR other platforms 👉 pod.link/1834171300/e...

The conversation addresses how publishers sustain operations during blackouts, Ukraine's role as a testing ground for YouTube and Telegram revenue models, and how The Fix Foundation supports independent newsrooms in need.

In our latest FixEd podcast episode, Anton Protsiuk sits down with Daria Trapeznikova (Forbes Ukraine, Rivni Media) to analyse the state of the market four years since the full-scale invasion began.

YouTube video by The Fix Media Checking in on Ukraine’s media market four years into the all-out war

Resilience is often discussed in abstract terms, but for Ukrainian publishers in 2026, it is a daily operational requirement. Amid a winter of targeted infrastructure attacks, the industry is managing to innovate.

Denník N goes to Brussels: why the Slovak daily acquired EUobserver Interview with Tomáš Bella, Denník N’s co-founder and EUobserver’s new CEO.

“Only if you're profitable can you be truly independent,” @dennikn.bsky.social co-founder Tomáš Bella on acquiring @euobserver.com and turning it from an NGO into a commercial company.

Reporting alone from Ukraine’s frontlines – Ukrainian freelancers covering the war From negotiating their own safety protocols to processing trauma alone, Ukraine's independent journalists are reshaping war reporting – at a personal cost

Another year has passed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, we're thinking about Ukrainian freelance journalists.

They often work alone on the frontlines, without the protection of a major outlet. They choose to face the war's horrors head-on, ensuring the world cannot look away.

Four years into the war, Russia tries to grind down Ukraine’s society – and its media Audience fatigue and economic disruption are some of the most serious challenges Ukrainian publishers face.

Russia’s strategy is to grind Ukraine down. For Ukrainian media, that means the most serious challenges are audience fatigue and shrinking revenue. We reflect on four years of the full-scale invasion.

Denník N goes to Brussels: why the Slovak daily acquired EUobserver Interview with Tomáš Bella, Denník N’s co-founder and EUobserver’s new CEO.

Last week, Slovakia’s @dennikn.bsky.social announced its acquisition of Brussels-based @euobserver.com. We spoke with Tomáš Bella, Denník N’s co-founder & EUobserver’s new CEO, about the intricacies of the deal, team’s plans to grow EUobserver, and his thoughts on making an acquisition in Brussels.

What can news publishers learn from creators? Interview with Simon Owens Don't leave money on the table and think outside the box about business models

How can traditional newsrooms best integrate the "creator mindset" without compromising their journalistic standards? Read the full interview with @simonowens.bsky.social to explore this topic in more detail 👇