“Supporting the newspaper today is the least that can be done so that Ukraine not only wins this war, but also comes out of it with the democratic values we all stand for now. The war significantly affected the work of our editorial office. But since the first hours of the full-scale invasion, the publication has stayed on the information front. Thanks to participation in the projects of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Vilnyi Holos was able to continue working effectively,” says Valentyna Blyzniuk, the editor-in-chief of the Vilnyi Holos [Free Voice] newspaper from Kolomyia.
“Our newspaper’s editorial office was not in a particularly luxurious condition before: the circulation decreased every year, it became more and more difficult to find advertising. We work in Kolomyia, a town where the offices of two TV channels have been functioning for a long time: local and regional ones, there is a purely advertising newspaper, and several online publications. Thus, the competitive environment is considerable. Of course, in terms of efficiency, the newspaper is inferior to television and Internet publications. So, we chose our niche with the help of the audience. Our readers do not like breaking news, but prefer their analysis, reviews, response, and comments. A feature of our content is the stories of locals, adult, and young people who live here, work, make this world better and bring our victory closer. Every week, Vilnyi Holos publishes stories about our hero-defenders, volunteers, doctors, immigrants, about children – little angels of the Great Victory, humble workers of the rear, farmers. People, their actions, thoughts, dreams are small puzzles that make up our latest history, and which the newspaper carefully records so that no one will ever dare to rewrite our history again,” says Valentyna Blyzniuk.
According to the editor, the war enhanced the responsibility for every word, making preservation of the printed edition a must, as it is the only one in the Kolomyia District. Printing, delivery, distribution, advertising revenue, subscriptions are things Vilnyi Holos must fight for today. The price for paper, which is now brought from Poland, Germany, Belgium, and Finland, has doubled. Accordingly, the cost of printing, which is the main expense item for the editorial office, has increased.
“In the summer, it became particularly difficult, there was a real prospect of stopping the publication of the newspaper due to the inability to pay for printing services. Accumulating debts to the printing house is also not an option. Therefore, participation in the creative projects of the NUJU called We are from Ukraine! and Journalists are Important became a light at the end of the tunnel for us. The irrevocable financial assistance provided to our editorial office supports the newspaper in the most difficult times. And the topics of the projects have raised to a qualitatively higher level not only the unique phenomenon of volunteering, but also Ukrainian journalists themselves. The whole world learned that our colleagues know not only how to perform their work responsibly, but also are able to actively volunteer, defend their native land with weapons in hand, help displaced people, make decisions, take care, lend a shoulder. You know, being a journalist today has never been so honorable.”
The editor notes that printing a newspaper today is also true volunteering.
“We work to pay taxes and for printing services, there is no heating in the editorial office. I type texts in candlelight at home, we also type in short periods in between blackouts, even at night. We share the Internet from a mobile phone while our laptops are working. Therefore, the projects joint with the NUJU prove that we are not alone in this terrible war. We work, we try, but the feeling of partnership, timely support helps us not to break down, to persevere. This war brought a lot of grief, but it also made us stronger, united everyone into a powerful force. These difficulties open up new horizons of cooperation, the search for universal work methods, and self-improvement,” adds Valentyna.
Thanks to the NUJU projects and the international partners of the Union, in particular, Ukrainian Media Fund and Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation, the newspaper was able to pay for the printing of the newspaper and continue its publication.
“We are sure: supporting the newspaper today is the least that can be done so that Ukraine not only wins this war, but also comes out of it with the democratic values we all stand for today,” concludes Valentyna Blyzniuk.
