# Journalism in Times of War and Uncertainty: The Inaugural Georgia-Ukraine Seminar ![Donetsk sign surrounded by Ukrainian flags. Photo by David Kirichenko](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2025-03/IMG_6540.JPG?h=76a3bf58&itok=ReQFS1FV) #### calendar\_today Date and Time **April 9, 2025** 05:00PM - 06:30PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **Belfer Case Study Room (S-020), CGIS-South Concourse Level** [1730 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02138 United States ]() [ WATCH THE RECORDING arrow\_circle\_right ](https://youtube.com/live/43d31yMD6yc) ## About the Event The Program on Georgian Studies at the Davis Center and the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at HURI announce their inaugural joint seminar with a panel discussion featuring journalists from and of the region. This discussion will explore the current media landscape in Georgia and Ukraine, the challenges and uncertainties journalists face on the ground, and their perspectives on the path forward. From the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine to the everyday fights for media independence in Georgia, the speakers will share their experiences in two rapidly shifting landscapes, both of which bring lessons for an American and global audience. The panel will shed light on the importance of an independent media sphere in the context of disinformation warfare at home and abroad. ## About the Panelists ![David Herszenhorn](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/2025-12/2025.04.09%20Journalism-1-200x200-Herszenhorn.png) [David M. Herszenhorn](https://x.com/herszenhorn?lang=en) is a 2025 Nieman fellow in journalism at Harvard. From 2022 to 2024, he served as Russia, Ukraine, East Europe editor at *The Washington Post*, where he oversaw coverage of the war in Ukraine and wartime Russia. Herszenhorn previously worked as the chief Brussels correspondent and associate editor at *Politico Europe* and for *The New York Times* as a Moscow-based international correspondent, Congressional correspondent and metro reporter. He is the author of *The Dissident: Alexey Navalny, Profile of a Political Prisoner* (Twelve, 2023). Herszenhorn is a 1994 graduate of Dartmouth College and former editor in chief of *The Dartmouth*, the daily student newspaper. He and his wife, Christina Marshall, have three sons, Miles (Harvard ‘25), Isaac, and Ellis. ![David Kirichenko](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/2025-12/2025.04.09%20Journalism-3-200x200-Kirichenko.png) [David Kirichenko](https://x.com/dvkirichenko?lang=en) is a Ukrainian-American journalist and Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. Since 2022, he has reported from the frontlines of Russia’s war against Ukraine, covering major battles such as the siege of Bakhmut and the fight for Chasiv Yar. His analysis and reporting have been featured in the Atlantic Council, Center for European Policy Analysis, and the Modern Warfare Institute at West Point, among other outlets. In February 2024, Kirichenko produced a report that gave insight into the world's first cyber war in a paper entitled "*Lessons from the First Cyberwar: How Supporting Ukraine on the Digital Battlefield Can Help Improve the UK’s Online Resilience*." The peer-reviewed paper was produced by the Henry Jackson Society and presented in an event in the House of Commons on 20 February, 2024. ![Ia Meurmishvili](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/2025-12/2025.04.09%20Journalism-4-200x200-Meurmishvili.png) [Ia Meurmishvili](https://x.com/iameurmishvili) is the Chief International Correspondent, and Host, of *The World Deciphered*, a weekly analytical show focused on U.S. national and global security issues, produced by *The Cipher Brief*. Previously, she served as the Managing Editor of *Voice of America*'s Georgian Service and the anchor of *View from Washington*. As an international journalist and editor, Ms. Meurmishvili specializes in American foreign and national security policy, transatlantic relations including NATO and the EU, U.S.-Russia relations, Ukraine, Black Sea security, and U.S.-Georgia relations. She is frequently featured as an expert commentator on these topics on television and at international conferences. In addition to her broadcasting work, Ms. Meurmishvili has lectured at universities in Georgia on U.S. politics, disinformation, and the role of journalism in democracy. She has been a regular contributor to *poligraph.info*, an investigative fact-checking publication dedicated to debunking fake news and propaganda. Prior to her time at *Voice of America*, Ms. Meurmishvili held key roles at the Eurasia Foundation, Finmeccanica, and in the office of U.S. Representative Allyson Schwartz. Ms. Meurmishvili is also the founder and director of Villa Chven Winery in the Republic of Georgia, which produces Georgian wines using indigenous grapes to help revitalize Georgian winemaking traditions disrupted by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. ────────────────── #### This event is the inaugural *Ukraine-Georgia Seminar*, organized jointly by the [Program on Georgian Studies](https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/research-initiatives/program-georgian-studies) at the Davis Center and the [Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/temerty-contemporary-ukraine-program) at HURI. *Persons with disabilities who wish to request accommodations or who have questions about access, please contact Hanna Leliv, HURI Events Logistics Coordinator, at* [*hleliv@fas.harvard.edu*](mailto:hleliv@fas.harvard.edu) *at least two weeks in advance of the session.* *Watch videos of past HURI events on our* [*YouTube Channel*](https://www.youtube.com/user/huriyt) *and* [*subscribe*](https://web.lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/lists/huri-events-list.lists.fas.harvard.edu/) *to our email list to receive announcements about events and other activities.* See also:- [ Special Event ](/event-type/special-event) - [ Contemporary Ukraine ](/fields-expertise/contemporary-ukraine) - [ Russia-Ukraine War ](/fields-expertise/russia-ukraine-war) - [ Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program ](/program/temerty-contemporary-ukraine-program) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://www.huri.harvard.edu/node/1617981/event-feed.ics) Copy link link