Some periodicals are ambitious information projects, some are aimed at commercial success, and third are published, first of all, for propaganda. A number of Ukrainian media experts consider “Vesti” daily newspaper to be the one. A lot of scandals widely covered by media have surrounded it lately.
All is not gold that glitters
Printed press in Ukraine is going through a bad time. Many popular periodicals cut its circulation or disappear at all. At the same time, the periodical we are talking about appeared in the country with phenomenal popularity, mostly because of free distribution and loud headlines.
“Popularity of the “Vesti” newspaper – full-colored, with a nice design and intriguing headlines is quite natural, — Irina Akinshina the MA in philology, an associate professor in LNU of Taras Shevchenko says. – First of all, because it is distributed for free. It puts “Vesti” beyond comparison with other daily newspapers – its audience is colossal and love of Ukrainians to traditional “free ride” also goes in a long way”.
Today circulation of the “Vesti” is 370 thousand copies. Newspaper is published almost daily. According to Dmitriy Bogdanov – specialist in marketing of printed press, the fact that this periodical is published in a full-color and distributed for free indicates that material resource of “Vesti” media holding is huge and self-repayment is not a priority.
“Usually, publisher tries to save money – full-colored lines become two-colored, their number is eventually reducing, if the paper is not very popular. Data about newspapers’ sale in big media holdings is analyzed in order to choose an optimal size of the next edition, — our interlocutor says. – Of course, it is an ungrateful business to count someone’s money. But when it’s a war in the country and almost everyone had to “pull in the belts”, but some company keeps wasting millions hrivnas, dismissing hundreds of thousands free full-colored newspapers – it looks very weird. It seems that goals are more important for the holding’s authorities than expenses. But another question is – what kind of goals?”.
Poverty, devastation, war and a “godsent Bethlehem fire”
Not while ago an Internet resource Mediasapiens published results of a content-analysis of the “Vesti” newspaper. It was made by Artem Zaharchenko — MA in social communications, professor of the Journalism Institute of the Taras Shevchenko Kiev National University. He analyzed articles’ content, titles, value judgments, double meanings and manipulative conclusions.
The author revealed coincidence of significant part of materials, published in “Vesti” with theses of Russian propaganda.
“First of all, texts and titles in the “Vesti” newspaper are charging a panic like “everything is ruined” and “we were betrayed”. This sauce goes with almost all events in the country, — Irina Akinshina supposes. – The face of any newspaper – is the front line. Front line of the “Vesti” newspaper regularly had the word “fire” or its synonyms: “Donbass is on fire”, “Elections in Kiev – it will be hot”. On the 29th of April the front line had a picture of a forest fire and a title “Chernobyl is on fire, Kiev is asmoke”. It seems too much “fire” for the front line, but of course it’s a matter of taste. Maybe, editorial board consciously or not seeks to spiritual and existential purification by means of the godsent “Bethlehem fire”? Talking about the material “Donbass is on fire”, which appeared in February edition devoted to possible fighters’ directions of advance, I want to note that the title coincided with a propaganda film of the same name made by the “Russia 1” TV-channel. It seems that the title was floating in the air those days”.
Our interlocutor also notes some typical “cliché” used in the “Vesti” materials and plots and publications of Russian propaganda.
“It was interesting to me how the newspaper uses “radicals” notion. Authors of articles use it for a number of organizations and formations existing in Ukraine. Often this notion is backed up with pictures of the Maydan times, with people in masks, with “special means”, sometimes with retouched faces”.
“In fact, the radical’s image presented by the “Vesti” journalists corresponds to an image in Russian propaganda, — Irina Akishina shares her observations, — which is almost impossible to meet nowadays in real life”.
An article “Situation in Kharkiv is deliberately stirred up” devoted to the conflict among political leadership of the region and revival of streets’ activity was published in an issue from the 29th of September (page 3). Under a title about a “stirred up situation” we read: “Radicals and nationalists knocked over Lenin monument, governor addressed speaker of the VR to dissolve regional council … Experts consider –skirmish between Avakov and Kernes can blow up the region” .
So, radicals were at the first place in the article about stirred situation, than a political conflict between the mayor and the MIA Minister was mentioned. Complex public-political situation in the city was shown from the one side – there are radicals, who knock over monuments, there are authorities, who underestimate a danger of a social “explosion”, but there are nothing about well-promoted by separatists’ media “Kharkov partizany”, “Oplot”, other pro-Russian terrorists’ organizations. Maybe, they are just fiction or don’t exist anymore? So, a foregone conclusion is that the situation in Kharkov and further events – are authorities’ fault, who didn’t estimate risks, and radicals’ – who deliberately “rocked the boat”.
One-sided cover of events for the “Vesti” is rather typical. At the beginning of the year the newspaper in a very original way interpreted situation with the hrivna downfall and raise in prices for essential goods. Materials about food panic in the “Vesti” editions from February-March were identical with Russian news stories titled “Kiev residents storm grocery stores” and “There is a lack of products in the capital of Ukraine”. We have to admit though, that information presented by the “Vesti” journalists was more objective and restrained than the one presented by their Russian colleagues. Titles of the “Vesti” at the beginning of the year: “Prices for all products in Ukraine will be raised in February”, “Price for rice is overtaking 20-hrivnas buck-wheat”, “Buck-wheat is breaking a record of 25 hrivnas per a kilo”, “Prices for meat and eggs in Ukraine will be jacked up” – indicates serious interest of editors to food topics and desire to describe it in nitty-gritty details.
So, in an inflationary environment, when almost everything is getting more expensive, journalists of the “Vesti’ managed to write separate articles about each product or service: meds, buck-wheat, bread …
Specific tendency of events’ covering by the “Vesti” newspaper noticed by Andrey Zaharchenko is a creation of negative image of public-political reality in the country.
In Irina Akinshina’s opinion it was expressively shown by the titles with vividly negative words and expressions: (“War under a cupola” p.2,#74) in coverage of political events; (“Banks rat on clients to tax administration” p.2 #74, “End relatives’ registration for a subsidy” p.4, #76) economical realities; (“Pro-Russian riot is getting mature in European Union” p.10, #196) international events.
“I don’t want to take responsibility for a statement that “Vesti” broadcast Russian propaganda. But the fact that national realities are shown in a biased, cynical way with a mockery – is absolutely obvious”, — Irina Akinshina resumes.
Will it be banned?
During the last year many Ukrainian public figures, bloggers, journalists and politicians criticized “Vesti’s” content. Kiev Regional Administrative Court revived a case where the Kiev Prosecutor’s Office demanded to close the newspaper, motivating it with a number of articles been published, which “were aimed at violation of territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
The head of the MIA Valentin Nalivaychenko declared again on the 15th of April that according to his department’s data, the newspaper didn’t just “support separatists”, but had a “dirty financing” too.
It is very possible that the periodical, which won hundreds of thousands of loyal admires so fast will be closed soon. How justified is this step? Won’t it create a damaging precedent? Won’t it shadow a freedom of speech in our country?
And can it really be true, that in the country where information politics is a field of work for the whole Ministry, there are no other ways to resist information aggression?
Aleksey Chernov for informator.lg.ua