Olena Prytula

Olena Prytula
Olena Prytula
Притула Олена Юріївна
Born March 10, 1967 (1967-03-10) (age 44)
Notable credit(s) Ukrayinska Pravda co-founder (2000-present)

Olena Prytula (Ukrainian: Притула Олена Юріївна) (born March 10, 1967) is a Ukrainian journalist, the editor-in-chief, owner (and earlier co-founder) of the Ukrayinska Pravda, an influential online newspaper that focuses on news and political coverage in Ukraine.

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Early life

Prytula was born in Russia and educated as an engineer in Electroacoustics and Ultrasound at Odessa Polytechnic Institute.[1] Influenced by the dramatic social changes in the Soviet Union, Prytula quit her engineering career and became an independent journalist. She began her journalism career as a correspondent of UNIAR news agency, later working as a stringer for Reuters in Crimea, correspondent for Interfax-Ukraine news agency in Kiev and Crimea.

Ukrayinska Pravda and Gongadze

In 2000, Prytula began work as one of the founders of Ukrayinska Pravda. The murder of the site's co-founder, journalist Georgiy R. Gongadze, who had openly protested against growing government censorship, has focused attention on freedom of speech issues in Ukraine.

Prytula is sometimes alluded to have been a mistress of married Gongadze.[2] She was the very same "friend" of Gongadze whose apartment he left just before he was last seen alive.[3]

Recent career

Prytula returned to Ukraine in 2004 after her fellowship year at Stanford, where she was a Lyle and Corrine Nelson International Journalism Fellow, studying Internet-based communications and new media technologies.

Soon after her return, Ukraine witnessed the Orange Revolution during which Prytula's site played a pivotal role in providing timely information to the public in an atmosphere of upheaval and press restrictions.[4]

In 2000s Olena Prytula complemented Ukrayinska Pravda with news sites dedicated to economy, lifestyle, local news and tabloid, creating an integrated Internet-media group.

Russian-speaking Prytula insists that her news sites' home pages should remain in Ukrainian language, although translated Russian version is also provided.

References

  1. ^ "I've something to live for!" (in Russian). N 77 (20456). Newspaper "Donbas". 2003-04-24. http://www.donbass.dn.ua/2003/04/20456/20456-11.php?fotka=20456-11. 
  2. ^ Killing the Story: a Tom Mangold investigation. BBC Correspondent. 21 April 2002. Program transcript.
  3. ^ Gongadze case - Details on Gongadze’s disappear.
  4. ^ Sixth John S. Knight Fellowships Reunion and Conference Speaker Biographies.

External links

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