“Journalism requires universal ethics”

Lviv – Any holder of a bachelor’s degree (irrespective of specialization) can become a student of the new department at the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). The two-year-long MA program aims at training universal journalists. The developers of the program emphasize that, unlike conventional approaches, the UCU curriculum comprises a large portion of philosophical disciplines, impregnating graduate students with the ethical and moral principles of the profession, its mission, and the journalist’s professional responsibility in the modern world.

In particular, there will be such courses as Media and Morals, Western Civilization, Present-Day Ukrainian Journalism: Standards of Quality, Christian Spirituality in the Post-Modern Age, History of Ideas, Church and Social Communication, etc.

A set of specialized disciplines, such as Modern Mass Culture: Values, Identities, Practices, Media Criticism, Media Psychology, Media Rhetoric, Western Models of Journalism, Media Discourse/ Media Narrative, Sociology of the Media, Internet Journalism, Investigative Journalism, Essayism, etc., will empower the students providing them with substantial knowledge and ability to professionally analyze not only Ukrainian, but also global tendencies in politics, economy, religion, and culture. As the first vice rector Taras DOBKO told The Day, the graduate program in journalism is to open this September.

“When were developing the concept of the core program of this school, we aspired to see, in the outcome, a professional journalist with solid professional training in their respective sphere, be it economics, law, or religion” said Vice Rector Dobko. “On the other hand, we want such graduates to be competent with modern devices and to be a so-called universal journalist.

“That is why we are creating our own state-of-the-art training center. It will be a newsroom – a network of multifunctional computers whose software will allow students to develop their skills at video and audio editing, layout, and design of printed media. We will also enable our students majoring in TV news journalism or analytical TV/radio journalism, to work in a TV/radio studio.

“Our graduate must certainly understand the ideals (ethos) of this profession, i.e., that journalism is a socially significant job and, consequently, requires certain universal principles and ethical imperatives enabling them to feel like a representative of the fourth branch of power rather than a tool in someone’s hands, i.e., those of influential political or business groups.

“The program also incorporates work on an international level. At first, this is going to be done via involving international experts and representatives of international mass media, in order to add an international dimension to our curriculum so that it could stand out among other similar curricula in Ukraine.

“In particular, we have already negotiated with Edward Lucas (The Day’s readers will know this Central European correspondent of the British weekly The Economist. – Author). Also, within the framework of professional training we have launched, together with the Polish foundation Press Center for Central and Eastern Europe, an eight month certificate program in media management, which also serves as a basis for the development of relations with Polish journalist circles. For instance, we are going to have Piotr Niemczycki, director of Agora SA (publisher of Gazeta Wyborcza. – Author), Tadeusz Soltys, creator and long-term director of the radio network RMF-FM, Jerzy Baczynski, editor in chief of the weekly Polityka, Mariusz Walter, founder and former director of TVN, Grzegorz Gauden, former editor in chief of the Rzeczpospolita daily, Jerzy Jurecki, editor in chief of the regional weekly Tygodnik Podhalanski, Ewa Wanat, editor in chief, Radio TOK FM, Jacek Rakowiecki, former editor in chief of the weekly Przekroj, et al.

“Thus, we intend to involve not only academia, but also professionals who actually work in the world of mass media. The same is true about Ukraine. Vakhtang Kipiani, former editor in chief of Fokus, has agreed to take part and give master classes in the presentation program launched on May 14. So has Volodymyr Mostovy, editor in chief of Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, and Ihor Balynsky – creator and former editor in chief of such Internet projects as ZIK, Zaxid.net and others. So it is crucial for us that our curriculum is not isolated, but involves experience from various spheres of mass media.

“We also want our students to get hands on training at the leading mass media of Ukraine and, at least, Poland. And one more thing: with regard to our University’s mission and peculiarity and, overall, the mission and peculiarity of the city of Lviv, which has always had a multicultural, multidenominational environment, we only thought it is natural to shape such a curriculum which would be very sensitive towards religious journalism, would acquaint the graduates with the ideas of Church in the sphere of social communication and media, and provide them with the Church’s understanding of this socially significant profession. Consequently, we rely on cooperation with various Catholic universities, both in Europe and across the Atlantic, which have well-developed curricula in social communication.”