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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

The Joy of Sharing With Readers

23 March, 1999 - 00:00

By Klara GUDZYK, The Day
I am sure that a journalist saying he/she does not care whether his/her
articles are read or skipped is insincere, especially when it comes to
serious issues.

Not so long ago, Den carried a questionnaire concerning Ukraine's
religious situation. A heap of letters was received, among them some very
interesting ideas and comments that can only be considered as solid proof
of this problem being actually in existence, rather than devised by story-hunting
media people. Also, that this problem concerns all those sincerely interested
in Ukraine's history and current realities. Our readers offer different
views, but all agree with the Gospel truth that man does live by bread
alone.

Another thing characteristic of this readers' correspondence is that
most voice their respect for Den, singling it out from among the
multitude of periodicals. Thus, one Mr. Tkachuk from Dunayivtsi writes
that he likes the Editors' "consistently independent policy," complemented
by scientific justification, commendable literary standards, quick response
to daily events, and the authors' unbiased critical approach. Mr. Rudokvas
from Kyiv is of the same opinion, adding that " Den is our newspaper,
read by a majority of media users, reflecting today's realities in an impersonal
yet enlightening manner. Despite all the present hardships, I spend the
money from my miserable pension to subscribe."

Respect, of course, implies well-wishing criticism, especially the Editor's
treatment of the current religious situation. Thus, Yuri Vasyliev, in his
long article, "On the Specifics of Eastern Orthodox Journalism," notes
that " Orthodox apologists must find their place in today's mass media,
particularly in the Den, which remember the adage, noblesse oblige."
To this I would like to point out that our Editors are of the opinion that
Orthodox apologia, a highly sophisticated and demanding issue as it is,
should be the prerogative of prestigious theological publications, while
Den is a purely worldly newspaper. Anatoly Voronin in his extensive
piece, "Our God is Worse than Hitler" accuses us of assisting the regime
in "driving us back to the Middle Ages and making everyone a believer."
What a shame, he says, that our newspaper should promote a certain creed
while discriminating against atheism, adding (not without reason) that
"we did not turn into believers overnight, all of us," and that atheism
is still prevalent in Ukrainian society. The aforementioned Mr. Rudokvas
is very displeased by the fact that Klara Gudzyk's religious articles and
interviews praise Patriarch Filaret who was "excommunicated by the Ecumenical
(sic) Church Council as an inveterate dissenter." To this I would object,
referring to the fact that Patriarch Filaret is not a hermit but heads
a large Eastern Orthodox community in Ukraine, having over 2,000 parishes.
Writing about him, one must remember that he is shepherd of a flock numbering
millions of adherents. In other words, respect must be observed and this
newspaper practices the same approach concerning all other churches and
confessions.

Different people, different opinions - this is how it is supposed to
be in a democratic society. We will in the near future attempt to publish
a more detailed review of the readers' letters.

Some of the readers (very few, in fact) argue with their "invisible"
opponents in a manner best described as seething hatred of all those harboring
different ideas. Other letters (even fewer, thank God!) are strongly reminiscent
of the public denunciations of days gone by, which the authors used as
a deft sword to remove their ideological rivals from the arena of society.
One would hope fervently for a bit of gentlemanliness, even a bit of the
old courtliness, so that the disputants could see the positive aspects
in their opponents and try to understand why they think as they do and
not otherwise. Pure fervor in casting blame never did anyone any good.
It is useful to mix this fervor with logic augmented by a little dose of
humor. Perhaps a starting point might be for one to begin his response
by saying, "Mr. N., whom I respect, has expressed a very interesting thought,
which I find both deep and groundless."

 

 

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