Any countermeasures against yellow journalism?

Many materials published on The Day’s pages acquired their own life. They are now part of the mosaic of the newspaper’s history along with the most recent history of Ukrainian journalism. Some of the stories could even make movie plots.

The Day has written about a girl who learned about Ostroh thanks to her father, who had subscribed to our newspaper. Then she appeared among the students of the Ostroh Academy at a meeting with The Day’s editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna. Moreover, this girl wrote “Anna’s List,” which made it to The Day’s front page in April 2004. The list contained simple and logical questions to our politicians, which, for some reason, left them puzzled.

Communities spring up spontaneously around The Day and the burning issues raised by its authors. So, the newspaper is still receiving signals concerning the support of naming Donetsk University after Vasyl Stus. This feedback supports us and gives us a new impetus for similar initiatives. It is no less important for us to receive the “deeper” reaction to the materials. We appreciate publications that stir the readers’ thinking and give rise to new ideas and opinions.

Nearly 18 months ago, on Jan. 18, 2008, Den’ published in its column “The Day’s Mail” a letter of Viktoria Kakubava, a student of the National Humanities University, entitled “Ugly Journalism.” The Dnipropetrovsk student said that she had dreamt of journalism since she was a child. Finally, after she succeeded in getting internship with The Day, she was shaped as a journalist.

“During my second internship, after an interview with the newspaper’s editor, I formed a clear model of what a journalist should be. This profession should inspire people and reveal the negative [in society]. A journalist should seek things for himself/herself and then give them to people. If you write for people, respect them. And there are many principles that have been shaped like muscles in my views,” Viktoria’s letter said.

However, she complained that a totally different journalism, an “irresponsible” and “brazen” one, awaited her on her return home. “When society degrades, journalists should do their utmost to stop this process rather than be the gutter press, otherwise this will be an ugly kind of journalism,” the student summarized her point.

A short while ago we received an unexpected response to the Dnipropetrovsk student’s letter from the fourth-year students of the Department of Journalism at the Ivan Franko National University in Lviv. The contemplations of the students majoring in radio journalism were sent to the editors by Prof. Vasyl Lyzanchuk. He added a short preface in which he said, in particular, that the professional training of journalists should be all-rounded.

Below are the most telling fragments from the Lviv students’ letter. It essentially reflects the nationwide discussion on the quality of the Ukrainian press. This message, evidently a product of prolonged efforts, indicates that not everybody is satisfied with the existing quality. Moreover, the disapproval of the “ugly” journalism is not linked to geography and stretches from Dnipropetrovsk to Lviv.

“LET’S DO WITHOUT YELLOW PRESS”

Uliana BODAI:

“The excessive attention that a part of Ukrainian journalists pay to banal things is a problem for our society. Apart from informing people about such and such events, journalists should seek to educate them culturally and bring to them socially needed information.

“‘They are dumping trash into people’s heads. The press, radio, and television are spouting production that has not been filtered either linguistically or morally.’ These are the words Lina Kostenko said during her lecture at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. In his/her pursuit of a great sensation, journalists turn into predatory creatures. In all this hustle and bustle they lack time to think about whether people need this sort of writings. What is it—a sensation, yellow press, or the market-place style? Is this an attempt to satisfy the audience (readers), or is it the degradation of society?

“I can see only one way out this vicious circle: the ‘ugly’ journalists have to break out of it themselves. If society is degrading, the journalist’s word should help it out of the abyss, rather than drive it deeper down. I think that journalism is an activity in which one should, above all, realize what you can give to your nation without asking anything in return.”

“WHAT SHOULD A SENSATIONAL JOURNALISM BE?”

Khrystyna CHIPAK:

“The so-called sensational journalism has assumed a scope that poses a threat for journalism, journalists, and readers. This is especially noticeable in the columns dedicated to culture, music, or show business. The art critic Oleksandr Vashchenko, Ph.D. in linguistics, admitted that it is easier for the journalists to write about ‘beau monde’s pants and hats’ than about art, ‘because this sort of articles requires no peculiar knowledge, preparation or certain level of personal culture.’

“Journalists become superficially universal, writing in short about everything and nothing in particular, neither going deep into the topic, nor studying it. The sensational journalism is a complicated phenomenon. The elements of sensation are indeed present in most of the mass media materials, and this has been primarily caused by ratings. Playing on people’s natural instincts, the mass media are trying to attract the largest possible audience in pursuit of high ratings.

“Journalists forget about the sense of what they write about and the usefulness of the information they provide. They equip their materials with eye-catching headings, emotional interviews, and short and simple sentences. People, in their turn, accept these plots as entertainment, even if the material is based on a really important event.

“The announcement of a new series of Russian movies on the STB TV channel is accompanied with the phrase ‘Our new movies!’ with an emphasis upon the words ‘our.’ But is it ours? Do they really think that people cannot distinguish foreign and national things? Unfortunately, journalists are taking part in the shameful process of the Russification of the Ukrainian nation.

“Ideal journalism can be different, but, to begin with, it must be Ukrainian. The information branch should satisfy the needs of all the population strata, there should always be quality periodicals that adhere to the standards of high-quality, rather than yellow, journalism. We cannot entrust our and Ukraine’s future to people who are interested only in the wardrobe of the band Alibi.”

“MY VIEW OF JOURNALISM”

Iryna PYRTKO:

“Most people associated the profession of a journalist with an image on a TV screen and the famous hosts. Only a few people believe that journalism means, above all, spreading true information about urgent and important events. Young people who opt for this profession often become obsessed with a dream of live broadcasting, fame, and big honoraria.

“‘A journalist is semper tiro (always a student). She does not have the concept of ‘after work,’ because it is impossible to exclude oneself from the stream of spiritual labor,’ Larysa Ivshyna underlined. Therefore,, novices should know in advance that the way to fame in this profession is a lengthy and thorny one. The recognition of the audience for which you are working is the highest award for a journalist. And one of the journalist’s tasks is to shape healthy aesthetic tastes. It is important not to be tempted with easy money and not to give in to corrupt proposals.

“Journalists should live with wide-open eyes and keep abreast of the latest developments, because it is much more interesting to live in a country filled with intelligent and energetic people who never lose their enthusiasm and hopes, make discoveries in, say, medicine, win in international competitions, and write and publish books. The information space should be filled with qualitative and socially important information. Unfortunately, many Ukrainian journalists and politicians are trying to preserve the Russification tendency in Ukraine. Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians are now the least privileged of Ukrainian citizens and needs protection.

“In the democratic countries of the world the mass media are filled with the spirit of society and the state. They consolidate their societies on the basis of national, linguistic, and cultural principles. And they are pluralistic, free-thinking, and independent—but only within this framework. Considering the special paths of Ukraine’s historical development, the main principles for the mass media in Ukraine should be national consciousness and statehood-oriented mentality. Such an understanding of professional principles of journalist work fits with the European and world context, yet at the same time it is enrooted in the national ground.”

“WHAT PRINCIPLES DO WE PROFESS?”

Yaryna TSIZH:

“Perhaps, our main problem is that we are unable to have proper love for our language, country, families, and our own lives. ‘Seek the enemy in yourself’—these words by Lina Kostenko pertain, in my opinion, to all the milestones in our past, present, and future. One should first and foremost change oneself and generate greater national self-identity on the inside.

“The entire complex of the humanities, including journalism, should be an improved and efficient telescope that will show us in the true light and present true information about us for the whole world. This is a top-priority task for journalists. ‘We are trying to leave behind Soviet-style journalism and move over to European standards,’ said n Natalia Katerynchuk, head of the Department of Information and Public-Political Broadcasting at the 1+1 TV channel.

“If by European journalism we understand yellow press and naked plots, we already have it. Seeking sensations, journalists lose the sense of what their profession is about. ‘If you switch on TV or unfold a newspaper, you will learn mainly about negative tragic events. Our ego and the mass media are continually portraying the world as a dangerous place where evil is waiting for us,’ the contemporary Italian therapist Valerio Albisetti noted. Intentional information about tragic and negative things makes us afraid, and this constantly has a hold on us. This should be counteracted with a qualitatively new, moral-spiritual content.

“We are now facing a real threat of replacement of the authentic Ukrainian culture by a marginal, eroded, and fake one. At the same time, our FM radio stations air an overabundance of mass-culture hits, while commercial channels primarily broadcast Russian-language programs that teach, propagandize, or recommend anything but Ukrainian. And images of insatiable Ukrainians who can’t get their fill of lard and are always eager to privatize the apartments of noble Russian citizens emerge in the ‘strolling’ plots of popular sitcoms like Moya prekrasnaya niania (My Wonderful Nanny) or Papiny dochki (Dad’s Daughters). One of the reasons for this is Ukraine’s helpless and liberal legislation and a lack of mechanisms to protect the national cultural values.

“A new danger for the Ukrainian country is that our society has adopted the lifestyle of consumption society, which B.Chepurko called a ‘result of the diseases of the European civilization.’ Quite reasonably, everyone has the right to his or her own opinion, tastes, and preferences. But the opinions and the taste of a journalist should be fed by national-civic consciousness, because all of us, despite belonging to different nationalities and cultural milieus, should love this land and its people.”

The Day’s FACT FILE

The 55th anniversary of the Lviv School of Journalism was marked by the publication of a number of books

The Day has recently received a letter from Zenon Dmytrovsky, an assistant professor, merited worker of education of Ukraine, deputy dean of the Department of Journalism at the Ivan Franko Lviv National University. He writes that this year the Department of Journalism, which is one of core departments in this field in Ukraine (just like the Institute of Journalism at Kyiv University), marks its 55th anniversary.

“We have produced nearly 6,000 graduates, who are working in Ukraine and abroad. Among them are winners of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize, merited journalists, newspaper editors, heads of TV and radio companies, heads of publishing houses, and MPs. Over 1,000 students are now studying at the department. The faculty includes nine doctors and 28 candidates of science,” the letter says.

The department’s research school that studies the theory and history of journalism was founded by Prof. Volodymyr Zdroveha, a noted historian of journalism. Now it is headed by Prof. Mykhailo Nechytaliuk. The representatives of the school have published numerous monographs and textbooks on theory and history of journalism.

The Lviv-based historians of journalism have recently produced a number of books historians. Dmytrovsky gives a brief summary of the most notable works:

Prysiazhny, M. and Marian Lozynsky. Orhanizatsiia roboty redaktsii gazety i pratsi zhurnalista. (Organization of the Operation of a Newspaper Editors’ Office and the Work of a Journalist.) This is a “sort of an alphabet that helps understand the nature of modern newspapers and successful development of a periodical.”

Romanchuk, O. Systemnyi analiz u zhurnalistytsi. (Systemic Analysis in Journalism.) This book “enables us to understand how much the issues of morality, ecology, economy, science, culture, and politics are interlinked.”

Los, Yo. Publitsystyka i tendentsii rozvytku svitu. (Political Writing and the Tendencies in the Development of the World.) This publication is aimed at “providing the methodological foundation for deeper understanding of the political writings that shape people’s worldview.”

Yatsymirska M. Naivazhlyvishi poniattia ta terminy teorii i praktyky zhurnalistyky, sotsialnykh komunikatsii, movoznavstva, kultury ukrainskoi movy (The Most Important Concepts and Terms in the Theory and Practice of Journalism, Social Communications, Linguistics, and the Culture of Ukrainian.) This book is a “terminological-conceptual minimum of a journalism major.”

Kost, S. Istoria ukrainskoi zhurnalistyky (zakhidnoukrainska presa pershoi polovyny XX st.: ideino-kontseptualni zasady, periodyzatsia) (The History of Ukrainian Journalism (Western Ukrainian Press of the Early 20th Century: Ideological and Conceptual Foundnations and Periodization).)

Kost, S. Istoria ukrainskoi zhurnalistyky (zakhidnoukrainska presa pershoi polovyny XX st.: struktura, problematyka)(The History of Ukrainian Journalism (Western Ukrainian Press of the Early 20th Century: Structure and Problems).) In these two works “the author explicates the phenomenon of the Western Ukrainian press as a mouthpiece of the statehood aspirations and national-liberation movement of the Ukrainian people and one of the cornerstones in the formation of the Ukrainian press now.”

Lyzanchuk, V. Henotzyd, etnotsyd, linhvotsyd ukrainskoi natsii: khronika. (Genocide, Ethnocide, Linguicide of the Ukrainian Nation: Chronicle). The renowned researcher of the Ukrainian-Russian relations consistently reproduces the history of foreign aggression against Ukraine since the mid-11th century until present time on the part of its closest neighbors—Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

“These are only some publications that the readers may be interested in. In the near future we intend to publish new books on history, theory, and practice of journalism,” Dmytrovsky concludes.

We are grateful to Lvivites for their meaningful response. These kinds of letters give possibility to broaden the nationwide discussion on the quality of the press, reveal new problems, and challenges. On the other hand, they offer interesting and fresh opinions. The younger generation of journalists understands that what is often hiding under the disguise of satisfying the consumer demand is mere degradation of the information space, and some are trying to call it “European nature” of our journalism.

The only way to block the imposed low standards is to counteract them working on a qualitatively higher level. But who is able to do this? For it is much easier to be involved in “superficial and universal” journalism rather than live with wide-open eyes and keep abreast of times. However, this is precisely what our country needs at the moment.