Secretary of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and editor-in-chief of the Obrii Iziumshchyny newspaper Kostiantyn Hryhorenko continued to administer the Obrii Iziumshchyny’s website remotely during the forced evacuation with the support of colleagues from Lviv. After the liberation of the Kharkiv Region, he returned to his native Izium once it became possible and began to resume publishing the printed newspaper.
He tells how he rearranged the work of the editorial office from the first days of the treacherous invasion of the ruscists into Ukraine, and advises how, in his opinion, the newspaper can withstand difficult times:
Obrii Iziumshchyny’s site in evacuation
When he was forced to leave the west of the country due to the advance of the Russian army, our site Obrii Iziumshchyny became a platform between the occupied and free territory of Ukraine and the only means of mass information covering the situation in the temporarily occupied Izium area and verifying the crimes of the occupiers. Today, law enforcement and investigative bodies open cases against collaborators, traitors, minions of the occupier, using the materials of the Obrii Iziumshchyny website.
It was difficult, the site withstood several cyberattacks, twice our site was blocked. Then I asked for help from all the media organizations I knew, posted the information about our problem on Facebook. And they helped us – the site was restored twice by good people whom I am not even familiar with.
It was difficult to restore e-mail and other services during the evacuation. Our corporate phone all passwords were linked to, was left in Izium, and all SMSes with a code for entering e-mail, YouTube, etc. were unavailable. Media organizations also helped us to restore the ability to open mail and other resources.
Before the large-scale war, at trainings and seminars for local media, I talked about how our digital platform gave the dynamics of the revenue part. And already during the great war, in the spring of 2022, offers to advertise on our website began to arrive from direct advertising exchanges. Advertising was also needed for large chain supermarkets returning to the consumer market of Ukraine.
At first, I refused to give such advertising, but in September, we anyway started showing branded ads for COMFY, Epicenter, Allo, and other customers. Now I can say with confidence that there is an advertising market, and I advise my colleagues to use the opportunity to advertise.
First issue of Obrii Iziumshchyny in liberated Izium
In September, a week after the President of Ukraine visited de-occupied Izium, after a six-month hiatus, we published the first issue of the printed version of Obrii Iziumshchyny. President of the NUJU Sergiy Tomilenko and Head of the State Television and Radio Committee Oleh Nalyvaiko pushed us to take this step, and at the same time, we received financial assistance from the NUJU in production of the first issue.
This first issue was produced in the Lviv Region, and printed in Kharkiv, from where volunteers transferred the printed edition to Izium. This happened during September-October: a circulation of 5,000 copies was printed and transferred from the printing house to Izium. The demand for Obrii Iziumshchyny was crazy, people asked not to cease newspaper’s publishing, its distribution, and we realized that we have no right to close the publication.
It must be said that until now, there is no television and stable Internet in Izium. The radio does not work, so the only source of information is our newspaper, which is sold via the retail network of the Izium area.
Viber and Telegram is no alternative
I would like to emphasize: the idea that social networks can replace traditional mass media is false. Don’t be fooled by the assurances that Viber and Telegram can replace a printed newspaper. When, after returning to Izium, I monitored all the local publics, I deleted all of them, because it was impossible to bear when you constantly come across false information, in the chats there is some sort of clarification of relationships, curse language is resent.
In December, our editorial office entered a more or less stable work schedule, Obrii Iziumshchyny began to be published every week. As far as it was possible, four workplaces were equipped in the rented office space, and office equipment was provided. However, we are editing the newspaper in the Lviv Region, because we do not yet have a computer we could install all the necessary programs on.
Our editorial office received a generator from the NUJU. It is very necessary to have one in today’s conditions of blackouts. They are also likely to provide us with Starlink. We are sincerely grateful for such support.
Despite difficulties and problems, new opportunities do arrive
Unfortunately, predictions are coming true that many newspapers whose editorial offices are in the occupation or in the front-line territories may stop publishing. In the Kharkiv Region, 15 local newspapers ceased publishing on January 1, 2023, and only 12 continue their work in different volumes with different frequency. Of all the pre-war local audiovisual mass media, three radio and three broadcasting companies are still operating.
In the end, I would like to say that despite all the difficulties and problems, front-line newspapers and newspapers from the de-occupied territories have new opportunities, and these opportunities should be used. First of all, they should develop digital platforms, follow the programs of international donor organizations and try to become participant in these programs. I am confident that the attention of international organizations will further be focused on Ukraine, so we must not stop and have to use any opportunity to save publications.
Olha Voitsekhivska, NUJU information service
