A “Ukrainian Project” And Sense of Style
Last Wednesday, The Day’s Editor-in-Chief Larysa Ivshyna gave a master class during the Informational Ukraine exhibition held in Kyiv as part of the Seventh European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy. Among those attending her master class were journalists from metropolitan and regional publications, readers of The Day, and Ukrainian National Union of Journalists chairman Ihor Lubchenko. The latter attended the master class not only in his official capacity but also as “a representative of my family that reads and loves The Day.” Mr. Lubchenko has a high regard for our newspaper because it “seeks to raise Ukrainian society to intellectual heights.” As he put it, “This is very difficult and cannot be accomplished in one, five, or ten years. But I like this very stance.”
The master class focused on the principles used in producing the newspaper. Larysa Ivshyna pointed out that mail from The Day’s readership indicates that Ukrainians have a very mistaken idea of themselves and Ukraine in general. Regional elites with their significant intellectual needs have been left to their own devices in independent Ukraine. So it is imperative for journalists, primarily television journalists, to create a holistic image of Ukraine.
“Not everything is concentrated in Kyiv. We must find the heart to recognize as intellectuals not those whom we see on television, but those who maintain high intellectual standards. Such people may be unknown, but we, journalists, have the possibility to bring them to the public’s attention,” Ivshyna said. By way of illustration, she mentioned one of this year’s Shevchenko Prize laureates, philosopher Serhiy Krymsky, who in large part owes his status as a public intellectual to The Day.
One of the questions touched on the principles governing the work of The Day’s international news division. Larysa Ivshyna pointed out that both the books of The Day’s Library series and its international news journalists offer a Ukrainocentric view of international events, which requires a keen understanding of social and national interests. “International journalism is not only about reporting, say, Yushchenko’s visit to Germany and what he said in the Bundestag, but also about analyzing what we are bringing to Europe and what we can offer it. International journalism is not a separate sector. It must take into account the interests of Ukrainian society,” Ivshyna said.
The audience broached the question of the relationship between newspaper editors and owners. Larysa Ivshyna said that she does not agree with those “media outlets that talk about wanting to be independent of their owners, even though they do not enjoy enough support from society. Unfortunately, we haven’t come this far. Therefore, there is a lot of scope for pressure from the owners.” Ms. Ivshyna went on to say that “Our newspaper has never been a killer’s weapon. At the same time, readers have no qualms about informational “killerism” in other publications. We must make sure that society develops criteria according to which it will maintain certain standards for the press.”
Speaking of the challenges faced by contemporary Ukrainian journalism, Ms. Ivshyna said that “for a long time Ukrainian journalists couldn’t find the right words or tone.” According to her, the authors of The Day’s Library series wrote about Ukrainian history in the “proper style.” “If anything, all of Ukraine now needs a proper style. We have already discovered our civic temperament and proclaimed the “Ukrainian project.” In our search for intellectuals we must focus on who can best implement this project. During the last elections the “Russian project of Ukraine” experienced a major setback, while the “Ukrainian project of Ukraine” was asserted. But we must closely inspect the quality and first steps in the implementation of this “Ukrainian project,” Ms. Ivshyna said.
P.S. The Day is grateful to everyone who showed an interest in the meeting with the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, and would like to remind its readers that we are always open to communicating with them. Send your questions, suggestions, and opinions to the editor-in-chief to our mailing address or send e-mail to [email protected] . The editor-in-chief may be reached at (38+044) 414-43-31.
