Events and society
As it is well-known, the financial crisis has seriously hit the mass media. Some newspapers and magazines have closed. Those that remained on the market had to cut greatly on their staff in order to save money. Many journalists were forced to become freelance journalists. However, this status is not the worst possible solution for a journalist, at least for those who work in Europe.
David L. Stern has told The Day about this situation. He works as a freelance journalist for The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, The Financial Times, and The Global Post. He specializes in the Black Sea region and countries of the former Soviet Union. Stern began his career as a TV reporter in Moscow. He covered the war in Chechnia and the first democratic presidential elections in Russia in 1996. In 1998 he moved to Baku. Now Stern is working in Ukraine.
Why is working in Ukraine attractive to you as a journalist?
“I worked in many places: Moscow, Baku, Tbilisi, Almaty, and Cyprus. Russia is not as interesting to me as the other post-Soviet countries, because if you live in Russia, you have to write only about Russia, whereas when you live in Baku or Tbilisi, you are able to open entire Asia for yourself. Now, when I live in Ukraine, I can also analyze what is happening in Russia, and at the same time what is happening in Moldova, Belarus, and the Baltic States. It is close to Central Asia from here, too.
“Unlike countries of Western Europe, Ukraine is a former Soviet republic. Your officials do not always agree to talk to me. People are still afraid — not to be arrested but that there could be some unpredictable reaction to the publication of what they have to say. Besides, I often face the fact that Western journalists are perceived as paparazzi who are only interested in scandals. The truth is that editors of American periodical are interested in significant events or interesting social materials. Ukraine and Georgia are in general of more interest to American people than Central Asia or the Caucasian region. However, this kind of interest does not transform into acquaintanceship. What do Americans know about Ukraine? Constant conflicts with Russia.
“There have been no unpleasant situations while I’ve worked in Ukraine. I’d say though that there can sometimes be misunderstandings. For example, people sometimes ask me to agree my materials with them before publishing them. I can show quotations which I intend to use in the material and the information that I’ve received from that person in order to check the facts. But it is dishonest to rewrite the words of the person you’ve interviewed to make it sound as if he meant something different. A journalist has to set these rules clearly right from the beginning.”
Why did you choose to be a freelance journalist and not a regular employee?
“The present situation with jobs for journalists is far from the best, especially for those who want to work abroad. Almost every newspaper has a branched system of correspondents all over the world. That is why you should choose a country where the newspaper does not have its own correspondent and then offer that newspaper your services.
“A journalist can be a stringer, a superstringer, or staff. The first two cases deal with freelance journalists, those who are not on the regular staff. The best option is to be a superstringer (this is a freelancer who signed a contract with the editor’s office), because it ensures certain stability unlike being a stringer (this is a freelance journalist who has no signed contracts). Superstringers can also work for other publications.
“Before making a decision to start working as a freelance journalist one should consider all the pros and cons, because there are both positive and negative sides to this work. The advantage of being a freelancer is that you can choose to write on any topic but only if you can find somebody to buy it. The main drawback is that there is no support system: resources that a newspaper has, people who would find the necessary information for you, no time, or security guarantees. Besides, the materials written by freelance journalists, unlike those of staff journalists, do not always get published. However, you are always reimbursed for the time and effort you spent while preparing an article whose topic has been approved by the editor in chief, even if for some reason the material is not published.”
