About the <I>The Day</I>’s strategy for establishing a civil society in Ukraine

It has already become a tradition, at the end of each year, to sum up the last year, make predictions, prognoses, and plans for the year to come in the columns of this newspaper. The rubric “My year – my Day - 2009” – is a good cause. Printed editions want to contribute to progress, improve their image and authority within society, increase circulation, penetrate deeper into society and influence it, etc. Considering today’s cruel reality, these principles become crucial in relations with society. It success depends on the ability to capture the Zeitgeist, and perhaps even more importantly, to reach out to the heart of each reader. Thus, it is good that The Day perseveres in keeping up this civilizational mission.

As a steady and established reader of The Day, I consider myself able to observe and recapitulate its achievements in building a civil society in Ukraine and its influence on this process. What are the factors which contribute to this? Here are a few of the main issues:

– Spreading knowledge about old and unknown episodes of our history, namely through the cycle “Ukraina Incognita.” Much of the information has become broadly known thanks to The Day. The rubric also became the basis for printing the first Ukraina Incognita book, largely edited and compiled by the newspaper’s staff, and further initiating the whole series of this cycle: Two Ruses, Apocryphal Writing of Klara Gudzyk, Wars and Peace. The Poles – Brothers, Neighbors, Foes, Your Dead Chose Me, Extract 150, etc.

– disclosing articles by prominent philosophers, economists, political experts, historians, etc.;

– establishing, under the aegis of The Day, a union of young intellectuals from different Ukrainian universities, based in Ostroh Academy;

– repeatedly emphasizing the importance of the state’s attitude to everything concerning the individual;

– establishing the traditional annual photo exhibitions of The Day, which were transformed into an original chronicle of the Ukrainian state formation;

– and, perhaps the most important: creating the sense of Ukrainian and European identity in its readers. It is a multifaceted, multilevel, and multidimensional definition that creates the necessary preconditions of love of Ukraine, understanding its place in world history, and Ukrainian patriotism.

Publishing materials by various authors, The Day was long positioned as a mouthpiece of urgent needs and painful issues for society. A wide network of authors from regions is an evidence of this process.

One may simply praise these achievements. However, in my opinion, there is an increasing stagnation in the development (dissemination) of the newspaper, its, so to speak, penetration of society. A standstill like this can lead to resting on one’s laurels, that would limit the paper to simply relaying facts, to the disappointment of readers, no doubt. Simply passing on information is not enough, one must meticulously study a given situation and select the optimal solution. As an ardent fan of the newspaper, I would disapprove of such a fall in the level of reporting, which means that it’s necessary to work out a modern strategy to keep the newspaper relevant to society.

In my opinion, in such regions as Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhia, there is a conscious sabotage of what is actually the only real nationwide Ukrainian intellectual newspaper. Many newspapers, unfortunately, fail to keep themselves free of political biases.

Perhaps, it is expedient to use a motto like: “Ukrainian newspaper The Day – for every Ukrainian family.”

The Orange Revolution resulted in a deluge of hopes and European ambitions. Its results, however, were usurped by turncoats, self-serving people, and traitors who discredited its noble ideas. During the revolution, The Day, while maintaining an unbiased presentation of those events, positioned itself as a supporter of the “orange” ideas. Ukraine is currently suffering from a post-orange hangover, and disillusionment with that period. But history cannot be stopped. The orange values didn’t fade, the revolution is underway, albeit taking on new forms and methods. The Day should promote those values. Against the background of unfortunate conditions – alienation and indifference of Europe and the USA, which, it would appear, provides a green light for aggressive Russian expansion – it is difficult to overestimate the role which The Day can play in a modern society in dire need of transformation. It can become a uniting standard for Ukrainians faced with a real threat of losing their state and their independence.

The complex events mentioned earlier can promote a sudden increase of the edition’s rating, and hence – play a great role in spreading values to the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, South-Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, deepening the European consciousness in those regions, and overcoming regional pro-Russian tendencies. However, the most important issue is that the Ukrainian idea, which The Day currently advances, will find a real embodiment. Many of the programs and measures undertaken by the government have led to an opposite reaction. New ideological forms of supporting Ukrainian patriotism are necessary. The lack of quality newspapers leads to a proliferation of low-quality tabloids, the same happening in other forms of mass media.

Ukraine has entered 2010. As a permanent reader of The Day (one of many I am sure), I would like to see my favorite edition contribute to the struggle for the transformation of Ukraine into a powerful flourishing European state. I’m sure that if the above-mentioned concepts are realized, The Day can really have a strong impact on the distorted consciousness of Ukrainians, to shake them from the hybrid European-Asian stupor, and provoke decisive actions aimed at truly ridding Ukraine from the shackles of its past.

This, in fact, is my New Year’s wish to The Day’s staff! Stay inspired in your struggle, and good luck!