Fixer for the press - a concept that has long been known in the world of journalism and media, but even today this person is confused with a correspondent or a journalist.
Fixers - these are representatives of the local mass media, who are hired by foreign journalists to translate, take them through an unfamiliar area for other tasks. That is, this coordinators who help organize the work of journalists, photographers and film crews during their foreign business trips. The profession of a fixer is on the border between logistics and journalism, so journalistic experience or education helps to properly organize work and makes a fixer an extremely sought-after specialist.
A big plus in the work of a fixer is the presence of good connections and a base of contacts. This is due to the fact that a foreign correspondent, who is coming for a couple of days, must have time to visit several locations, record many interviews, find the right people to shoot stories, find experts, coordinate all meetings and ensure high-quality translation.
In fact, the fixer acts as a journalist who prepares to write the article and shoot the story, organizes meetings and business trips, but all further work is done by another person.

The main tasks of the fixer
The fixer becomes a personal translator, assistant, guide, administrator, logistician and reference office, and when working in a war zone, a real security consultant. When planning a trip to a hot spot, you should find out if it is possible to get there and shoot something - the fixer also solves these questions.
In Ukraine, there was a demand for professional fixers even before the full-scale Russian invasion, and with the beginning of the war, the country found itself at the epicenter of events for world news. Hundreds of representatives of foreign and domestic mass media come here, due to which the demand for people who can organize the work process on site in difficult conditions has grown rapidly.
Ukrainian fixers - these are people who help journalists cover military events and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, look for interlocutors for interviews, locations for shooting stories, establish communications and solve everyday issues of a journalist's stay in a hot spot.
The profession of a fixer in Ukraine can be considered new, so their legal protection is not regulated at the level of legislation. However, as an unspoken rule, broadcasters who hire a fixer provide him with the necessary equipment, facilities and personal protection.
Advantages of cooperation with a fixer
The services of a fixer accompanied by journalists and reporters are very convenient, as they help to solve a number of important issues:
- meeting and organizing the transfer of foreign journalists;
- assistance in finding housing, booking hotel rooms, providing transportation in the area and solving other household issues;
- full informational support regarding the trip and organization of the work of film crews and correspondents;
- ensuring and controlling the security of stay in the country for all team members (safe travel routes in hot spots);
- organization of meetings with the necessary people, quick search for interlocutors for conversations and interviews, as well as various sources and informants for filming at the place of events;
- translation of interviews from locations as well as material that will be broadcast on TV (usually English and any European language);
- driver services (if needed);
- conceptualization of local stories (help in selecting the main and most important information, highlighting the key idea for articles).
Therefore, fixers act as important conductors between Ukrainian reality and foreign audiences. They are the ones who point the way to the most pressing and painful topics that everyone should see. With their help, journalists can show the full picture of the war as it is.
The Ukrainian project WarTours in Ukraine provides support for foreign correspondents and film crews: translation, logistics, organization of meetings and security.
It is important for Ukraine that the world sees the truth!