We decided, so to speak, to throw ourselves into the arms of young people and gage their opinion about our newspaper on the eve of our one thousandth issue. Since we have been claiming that our readership is the intellectual elite, we went to an elitist educational institution, the Department of International Economic Relations at the Institute of International Relations of Kyiv’s Taras Shevchenko National University. The topic of the junior year lecture was not so simple: Abolition of the Versailles System and the Establishment of German Hegemony in Europe. Distracting the students for a while from the abolition of the Versailles system (with the courteous consent of their teachers), we requested they voice their attitude toward our newspaper.
Valentyn ZGURSKY:
“The Dayis not a bad newspaper, with its own pluses and minuses. It seems to me it is not unbiased, but in general it is not a bad. What attracts me is last-minute information, front-page polls, diary, and the subjects dealt with. Since I am a department of international economic relations student, I am first of all interested in economic information. My favorite domestic and foreign publications are The Day, Dzerkalo tyzhnia, and The Financial Times, respectively.”
Olha RAYENKO:
“I read The Dayand Izvestiya. But I like The Daybetter. We are badly in need of newspapers catering to the intellectual elite of society. Every publication should be oriented toward a certain target group. There are newspapers which supply information to the public at large. But this kind of information is, as a rule, primitive. Yet, there are publications intended for higher brows. I think Den is one. What I also like is that, yours being a daily paper, we gain fresh information, while Dzerkalo tyzhnia comes out once a week and Biznes only once a month. This also the advantage of Den.”
Oleksandr LIASOTA:
“I like reading the English-language Day, for it provides good linguistic practice and coverage of events. I want to note the high level of English in your newspaper. Other publications carry either a very one-sided or a very superficial information, while The Daypresents debates on political events by various authors from different points of view, i.e., it attempts to make an objective analysis. Reading your paper regularly, you can always clearly trace the way the political situation is being developed. This is useful for my future profession.”
Mariya SHKARPETYNA:
“Newspapers designed for the elite expand your outlook and help you gain broadly based information. Whoever reads such newspapers can freely communicate with teachers on equal terms. Incidentally, the lecturer who conducts the course on Foreign Economic Management brings Den to his lectures. This paper pigeonholes information, which is very convenient, and is unbiased. My newspapers are Biznes and Den. “It is good that Den also publishes an electronic version. Yet, you sometimes feel happy to be able to hold a newspaper in hand.”
Andriy DOMBROV:
“Your newspaper furnishes a great deal of objective information about this country’s political and economic life. I don’t know if I will succeed, but I would like to see myself in the future as a political figure — perhaps a member of parliament — to take an active part in the country’s political life. An elite-oriented newspaper is a must. I believe The Daywill always stand me in good stead in my professional activities. But simultaneously there should be many other publications to present an unbiased view of various issues.”
