Serhii Ishchuk, publisher of Ye and Simeina Hazeta newspapers: “The information industry needs substantial support from the state”

The top leadership of the state must work today to prevent the elimination of local newspapers in Ukraine, to preserve and significantly strengthen the information space. After all, enemy propaganda is only getting stronger. It was not possible to establish sustainable cooperation between the newly created territorial communities and newspaper newsrooms. The economic situation of communities is also not the best, and few people dare to spend money on the information industry to cover their work in the media. Serhii Ishchuk, the publisher of the Ye and Simeina Hazeta newspapers, was the one to draw attention to that fact.

“I often visit book forums and see that the benefits received by book publishing in Ukraine have led to positive results. Something similar needs to be done now in the information industry so as not to lose what we have. Right now, there is an urgent need to initiate changes at the state level to preserve the remnants of the local information space. It is not about the direct provision of funds to newsrooms. Preferential taxation, under which newspaper editors fall, could somewhat improve the situation,” believes Serhii Ishchuk.

Residents of Khmelnytskyi need prompt and reliable information. And who today, if not the local media, can do it? However, due to a number of reasons, Ukrposhta cannot deliver/hand over the newspaper to subscribers. As a result, circulation is falling, and so are the incomes of newsrooms.

“I believe that it has long been advisable to use the option when the subscription is issued without delivery. It will be much cheaper for some subscribers. Since the mail carriers once again announced an increase in tariffs for subscription and delivery of newspapers, which they do not actually carry out,” says Serhiy Ishchuk.

Call the Unified Western Ukrainian JSC Lviv-Chernivtsi at 097 907 9702 (Nataliya Voitovych, the Lviv JSC coordinator, and Volodymyr Bober, the assistant). The Center’s address is 5 Solomiyi Krushelnytskoyi Street.

ABOUT JSC

The Journalists’ Solidarity Centers is an initiative of the NUJU implemented with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists and UNESCO. The initiative is designated to help media representatives working in Ukraine during the war. The Centers operate in Kyiv, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipro and provide journalists with organizational, technical, legal, psychological, and other types of assistance.

ABOUT UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication, and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding. It is the coordinator of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, thus strengthening peace, democracy, and sustainable development worldwide. UNESCO is working closely with its partner organizations in Ukraine to provide support to journalists on the ground.

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this digest do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area or its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this digest and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit to the organization.

Western Ukrainian JSC information service