Day of the Journalist: What’s to Celebrate?

Last Monday, June 6, Ukraine marked the Day of the Journalist, which was instituted by presidential decree as long ago as May 1994.

On the eve of this professional holiday, The Day invited some of its colleagues to assess the current relationship with the new government and decide whether journalists have any cause to rejoice this year.

Oksana ZBITNIEVA, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Teleexpress, Komsomolsk, Poltava oblast:

“Our editorial board has had no problems with the government — perhaps because we are a provincial publication. But I am closely monitoring what is going on in this country and how the media react to certain events or governmental actions. So, I cannot say that the government likes the mass media all that much. I think the government is now trying to shore up its administrative resource and ‘bring the media to heel’ one way or another, for it is seriously getting ready for the 2006 elections.

“Naturally, we must congratulate one another on our holiday and wish each other professionalism.”

Olha ZHMUDOVSKA, editor-in-chief of the weekly Fortetsia, Kamyanets-Podilsky, Khmelnytsky oblast:

“Our new government seems to be unaware of what an independent, unbiased, and free press is. In many respects, the new officials are still people from “that” time. In comparison to the old government, they may have taken a step forward in everything but their attitude to journalists. The new authorities continue dividing the media into loyal and disloyal. As far as my newspaper is concerned, nothing has changed in our relationship with the government since the Orange Revolution. The only small detail that pleases and reassures me is that new district administration heads are trying one way or another to communicate directly with the people and tackle their problems.

“On the eve of our professional holiday, I would like above all to congratulate my colleagues on the publication of the 500th issue of our weekly. I am glad that our team has remained almost unchanged over the past 9 years, in spite of the low salaries and the fact that our journalists are ‘undesirable’ everywhere. Still, we are together, we love and understand each other, and we are holding on. I wish the same to my colleagues in the other media.”

Ihor LUBCHENKO, chairman, National Union of Journalists, Ukraine:

“Relations established between journalists with a new government, or with any government for that matter, can be complex. I always say that the government disliked the press and journalists, not just in ‘pre-Orange’ Ukraine, but even now-not only in this country but also abroad. Still, one should take a sober attitude to this and try to establish a businesslike relationship. At first, the new authorities declared non-interference into media affairs. Now we are coming across cases of local administration heads beginning to pressure journalists into handing in their resignations — they want to see new editors and writers, ‘their own people.’ Of course, bureaucrats can be changed as often as possible, but journalists are not bureaucrats and must not be replaced as soon as a new district or city administration head appears. Unfortunately, there are many cases like this. For example, the head of Lebedyn district administration in Sumy oblast dictates to the newspaper Zhyttia Lebedynshchyny what and about whom to write. In Zolotonosha, Cherkasy oblast, the authorities are even demanding that the editorial board submit its materials to the district council for vetting. They criticize the editors for writing too little about European integration. They failed to find a different pretext for firing the editor-in-chief. I am afraid the real reason is the coming parliamentary and local government elections. The local authorities want the press to campaign for those who suit them.

“So journalists should first of all oppose the unlawful actions of the authorities. Secondly, they should display elementary professional solidarity. For example, if an editor is being pressured to resign, all the other publications should try and expose the bureaucrats who are exerting this pressure on journalists.

“I would like to wish all journalists professional courage and decency. This is the most difficult thing. As the saying goes, you can’t bury or drink away your talent because it is genetically inherent in a person, while you have to prove your courage and decency every day.”