Editorial work under Shahed drones: how Holos Lozivshchyny media works

“Today, the first disruption in the newspaper’s publication in 15 years occurred. The reason is that the state of health did not allow us to prepare materials for printing. We appealed to the readers that we would make up for it and give our audience what it deserves — access to information,” says Volodymyr Shevchenko, the editor-in-chief of Holos Lozivshchyny.

It is difficult for him to talk. He is currently in a hospital in Kharkiv after undergoing operations. Despite his serious health condition, Volodymyr Shevchenko is optimistic because he feels a responsibility to his readers, who are already suffering from constant attacks by the russians. The community is located on the border of the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk Regions. It is a humanitarian hub for internally-displaced persons from the Donetsk Region. The publication remains an important source of information for residents and internally displaced persons.

“They don’t “insult” Lozova as they hit with missiles, Shaheds, and guided bombs. Enterprises, railway infrastructure, and buildings are under attack. The last issue of the newspaper was edited literally under intense fire from enemy drones. And this happened repeatedly,” he says in a comment for the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

Despite the fact that with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Holos Lozivshchyny lost half of its readers (due to departure to safer regions) and was forced to reduce its circulation by half, the newspaper is trying its best to hold on. They moved the printing to Vinnytsia, decided to distribute independently, without the services of Ukrposhta, which has repeatedly let down both the publication and its readers. Currently, five people work in the editorial office.

“Today, we work on 70% of our salary in order to save money on the newspaper. We deliver independently, without Ukrposhta, so that the audience is guaranteed to receive their copies. At the same time, the subscription price remains the cheapest in the region — UAH 384 compared to UAH 500-980 in other media,” noted Volodymyr Shevchenko.

Holos Lozivshchyny media is published twice a month with a circulation of 1,550 copies. The publication is distributed in 17 starosta districts of the Loziv Community of the Kharkiv Region.

Viktoriya Maliovana

NUJU Information Service