But given the changing economics in Ukraine and media business, this op-ed is an appeal to our global readers – especially in the U.S., Canada and Europe – to subscribe online today.
On our end we are doing everything possible to ensure the Kyiv Post’s future. Realizing that the print advertising market is shrinking not only in Ukraine, but throughout the world, the Kyiv Post became the first news organization in Ukraine to erect a paywall and charge for online subscription. We are also diversifying our revenue stream through special supplements, such as the Legal Quarterly, and events, such as conferences and employment fairs. Kyiv Post journalists founded the non-profit Media Development Foundation, which raises money to promote investigative journalism, student exchanges and advanced training.
We are moving as fast as we can to change with the times.
But the nation’s economy is in trouble, while demands for coverage increase — especially of Russia’s war against Ukraine and about Ukraine’s progress in making long-overdue political and economic reforms.
An online subscription for only $50 per year helps make this coverage and other investigative projects possible.
The Kyiv Post has survived many crises, but can do so only with your support. Why subscribe? Here’s our simple sales pitch:
Quality news
The Kyiv Post website publishes dozens of exclusive stories weekly, including from the war front, in addition to articles from news wires and aggregated stories from other news sources. Much of that content remains free because of partnerships, including coverage from the five-member Kyiv Post+ team, our information technology beat reporter and our Reform Watch beat reporter.
Online subscribers get all of that content and more, including unlimited access to all of our exclusive stories, cartoons, multimedia offerings and archives — a unique collection of news stories dating back to 1995 that cannot be found anywhere else.
Ukraine’s global voice
During revolution and war, the Kyiv Post became “Ukraine’s Global Voice” to the English-speaking world. Total pageviews? More than 60 million for the entire year, most coming from the United States, Canada and EU. Citations in the Western press: More than any other source of news in Ukraine and just behind one other publication even when Russia is taken into account. International awards: The 2014 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism.
At a time when Ukraine is being outgunned in the information war by Kremlin propaganda, the Kyiv Post matters more than ever as a source of reliable English-language news.
Building a free press
A vibrant press is essential to any democracy – especially Ukraine’s fledgling state and attempts to shed its Soviet past. The Kyiv Post matters as an institution and as a model of ethical journalism and editorial independence, both of which are in short supply in a nation where too many news outlets are still owned by business moguls who use their holdings as propaganda tools. The Kyiv Post’s courageous journalism has led to several threats to its existence – including two failed attempts by oligarchs close to ex-President Viktor Yanukovych to purchase the newspaper; a failed libel lawsuit by billionaire Dmytro Firtash, who is now facing criminal bribery charges that he denies; and a demand by a Yanukovych-era agricultural minister to fire the chief editor for publishing a hard-hitting interview with him.
The Kyiv Post was able to withstand these attacks because of strong community backing.
Train future journalists
Our journalists also appear regularly at Ukraine’s journalism schools to offer lectures, training and advice.
Kyiv Post alumni have, meanwhile, gone on to such leading publications as the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, the Financial Times, Mashable, Bloomberg and other respected outlets.
Two of our journalists have won the prestigious Alfred Friendly Fellowship, which places them in American newspapers for six months.
Former Kyiv Post staff writer Vitaly Sych, now the chief editor of the Ukrainian weekly Novoye Vremya, put it this way during an op-ed to mark the Kyiv Post’s 20th anniversary: “When people ask me what needs to happen for Ukrainian media to change, I answer that media with international standards need to arrive. They educate hundreds of journalists, introduce new standards and undermine competitors that take bribes or service their owners. They do make a long-lasting difference. The Kyiv Post was the biggest of them.”
Our longtime motto is “Independence. Community Trust.” With your support, we will live up to this way of doing business for another 20 years.
Nataliya Bugayova is the CEO of the Kyiv Post and can be reached at [email protected]
