News

Dr. Jeannine Jud-Kelly from the German Department at the University of Galway organized this talk by Miriam Beller, a former ORF (= Austrian RTE) correspondent in Russia who gave a deeply insightful talk on the realities of wartime reporting in Russia at the University of Galway and at the University of Limerick at the beginning of March 2026.
Beller shared her firsthand experiences covering the war against Ukraine while navigating in an increasingly restrictive media environment. She spoke about how propaganda is constructed, how access to reliable sources has diminished, and how fear shapes interactions with journalists; especially foreign reporters.
Miriam Beller also shed light on the expanding systems of surveillance and bureaucratic control that make independent journalism in Russia more challenging and dangerous. Her reflections offered an important reminder of why press freedom and critical reporting remain essential in moments of conflict and political repression. (LinkedIn links here  and here).