My loyalty to Kyiv Post is not merely an outcome of sentiments or habit. It’s grounded in my trust to the Kyiv Post and its values.
A master’s student in political science, I started my job at the Kyiv Post back in 2007.
While I enjoyed it from the very beginning, it’s much later that I realized how great this place was for beginning journalists.
When a young journalist gets into the newsroom for the first time, standards practiced there become a part of his/her professional identity. And if you see zero tolerance for lies and sloppy work in the newsroom – that’s how you get a real sense of the profession.
I was truly lucky to be in such a newsroom.
The years 2007-2008 were when post-Orange hopes turned into post-Orange fatigue and disappointment. There was much more media freedom compared to the times of President Leonid Kuchma times, the economy was growing (until the 2008 crisis), but political instability and lack of reforms left the majority dissatisfied.
Those were also the years when the enthusiasm of journalists was replaced with all-embracing skepticism, which resulted in acceptance and justification of paid-for coverage, a shameful practice known under the “jeansa” term in Ukraine.
I remember that atmosphere of skepticism and how old-fashioned Kyiv Post’s slogan “Independence. Community. Trust” seemed at times.
Yet, this slogan and Kyiv Post principles far outlived post-Orange skepticism of Ukrainian media and journalists, later developments proved.
The 2008 crisis hit independent media hard. KP Media had to layoff many journalists.
By that time, I got enrolled into the Ph.D, Program in mass communications at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and decided to concentrate on my studies. Four years of classes and research were followed by a doctoral thesis defense and the start of an academic career.
It turned out that the Kyiv Post was a perfect place not only for beginning journalists but also for emerging media researchers. It is at Kyiv Post that I developed a genuine interest in journalism and realized I want to study media in-depth.
When I was writing my thesis, I couldn’t but thank all Kyiv Post editors for their editing efforts that brought me closer to English academic writing than any other university course. Finally, it is at the Kyiv Post that I developed respect for the profession of journalist and I do believe this respect is essential for media researchers.
During all these years I’ve been watching Kyiv Post closely not only because of my personal interest and sympathies, but also because the newspaper proved to be one of the very few Ukrainian media outlets consistently committed to independent reporting, which is quite a challenge given perpetually unstable political and media landscape of the country. I
If the Kyiv Post failed – that would be it, I thought.
I remember near physical pain at seeing the once-independent Korrespondent magazine running manipulative stories after its purchase by Sergei Kurchenko, the fugitive alleged front man for ex-President Viktor Yanukovych.
If the Kyiv Post became a political instrument likewise – what could be expected next?
As the 20-year Kyiv Post anniversary approaches, those fears seem irrelevant.
For 20 years, the Kyiv Post and its staff have been demonstrating a fascinating example of professional integrity and commitment. My only wish is that they keep on doing that, meet new challenges and become a success-story model for other Ukrainian media.
Mnohaya lita, Kyiv Post!
Dariya Orlova, Ph.D., is a media researcher and lecturer at the Mohyla School of Journalism in Kyiv.
