VytautoDidžiojo Universitetas
Politikos mokslų ir Diplomatijos Institutas
Žurnalistikos Katedra
Project
Media transformation, Jurnalistic discourse
Mindaugas Rimkevičius
Tadas Širvinskas
Kaunas 2002
Content
Introduction
Topical analyses of dailies in soviet times
New media (democracy)
Trust in media
Literature
Introduction
The purpose of this work is to clear up: what was the situation like in soviet times though, when media was just another assistant of Communist party, when press was keeping silent about everything what was in connection with negative matters in the state, when newspapers and television were force-feeding people with totalitarianism based propaganda and inducing are feeling of hostility to those who think different; what is the role of media nowadays.
Soviet press was totalitarian, as we speak not about one person who controlled the state, but about the generals communist party control of social, political and cultural life. In the transitional period media was trying to become democratic by its entire means. In a few years the press of Lithuania has turned out to be similar to Western model – civilized, effective and informative. Starting with 1992 newspapers in Lithuania have got all feature of modern press.
In this work is analysed topical and structural development of the largest Lithuanian dailies – Lietuvos Rytas (Komjaunimo Tiesa) and Kauno Diena (Kauno Tiesa) starting with 1985 and finishing up with the press of independent Lithuania. We also including one more daily Respublika, because this daily was established in 1990 and had no traditions of soviet press.
Topical analyses of dailies in soviet times
Table 1
A we can see (table 1) the main topics in Komlaunimo Tiesa 1985 were foreign news and official information. We can find just few advertisement and publication about work.
Table 2
As we can see (table 2) the main topics in Kauno Tiesa 1985 were country news and advertisements. We can find just few publications about official information, local news and sport. Comparing Komjaunimo Tiesa and Kauno Tiesa we can notice that there are no same topics taking a priority.
Table 3
As we can see (table 3) the main topics in Komjaunimo Tiesa 1989 were urgent problems and culture. We can find just few publications about forecast and economy they are new topics.
Table 4
The main topics in Kauno Tiesa 1989 (table 4) were advertisements and politics. We can find just few publications about history and sport. Comparing Komjaunimo Tiesa and Kauno Tiesa in 1985-1989 we can notice rice of the new topics like urgent problems and politics. Also we notice that there are no more such topics like propaganda and official news. Advertisement taking a priority in Kauno Tiesa and urgent problems taking a priority in Komjaunimo Tiesa.
Table 5
As we can see (table 5) the main topics in Kauno Tiesa 1991 were advertisement and local news. We can find just few publications about foreign news and sport.
Table 6
In 1991 in Lietuvos Rytas the advertisements and politics had the biggest part of publications. There is no more publications about youth and history and a very little part of sport. Comparing Lietuvos Rytas and Kauno Tiesa we can notice that priority for both dailies are advertisements, and there is no more publications about history in both dailies.
Table 7
In period 1987-1991 Komjaunimo Tiesa (Lietuvos Rytas) had five main topics. Urgent problems was the most stabile and popular topic. After 1988’s there is a big decline of foreign news publications. At the same time we can see the rice of announcements. After a little decline in 1988-1989 the publications of politics becomes popular again. When Komjaunimo Tiesa change the title in Lietuvos Rytas, popular topic for youth disappeared.
Table 8
As in Komjaunimo Tiesa (Lietuvos Rytas) in Kauno Tiesa the announcements become very popular. The number of publication of urgent problems and local news were very stable in 1987-1991. After 1989 it was paying less attention to the foreign news.
Comparing data from table 7 and table 8 we can see the differences on topics between two biggest daily newspapers in 1987-1991. Kauno Tiesa more represented Kaunas town that’s why the local news topic is one of the popular. As we will see is popular nowadays and that’s means that kauno Tiesa (Kauno Diena) represents Kaunas towns. At the same time Komjaunimo Tiesa (Lietuvos Rytas) has no local news and represents all the country. In the late 1980 decade announcements (add) becomes very popular. In soviet times there were no ads at all. In both dailies there is decline of publications on foreign news.
New media (democracy)
Table 9
In 1995 we can see a rice of urgent problems publications in Lietuvos Rytas, criminal news and scandals appears.
Table 10
In Kauno Diena 1995 the biggest part of publication were on urgent news. And as every year there is a lot of local news. There is no foreign news, economy and scandals at all.
The main topic in both dailies (Lietuvos Rytas, Kauno Diena 1995) is urgent problems. At the same time in the daily Respublika the main theme is criminal news (34%) while this topic is not very popular in other dailies.
Table 11
In Lietuvos rytas 1998 the main topics are politics, foreing news and criminal news.
Table 12
In Kauno Diena 1998 there is four biggest topics: sport, politics, urgent problems, criminal news. And for the first time there is only few publications on the local news.
In 1998 in Respublika as in 1995 the main topic is criminal news. The criminal news in 1998 becomes popular topic in all three dailies.
Table 13
In Kauno Diena 2002 the biggest part of pub;ixcatins is on urgebt problems and there is a decline on criminal news and local news.
Table 14
For the firs time in Lietuvos Rytas 2002 the scandals becomes the main topic.
All three dailies: Lietuvos Rytas, Kauno Diena and Respublika in 2002 had the different prioritries on topics. Lietuvos Rytas – scandals; Kauno Diena – urgent problems; Respublika – criminal news.
Table 15
In Kauno Diena since 1993 ex main topic local news every year becames less and less popular and urgent news becames the main topic in Kauno Diena. Criminals and scandals appears.
Table 16
In Lietuvos Rytas 1992-2002there is a big changes in main topics every year.
In 1992-2002 there is a big topical changes in all three dailies and all dailies have they own priorities on topics. In Respublika criminal news is the main topic every year. Lietuvos Rytas pays more attention to politics, foreign news and urgent problems. At this moment there is the big rise of publication on scandals. In Kauno Diena till 1995 the main topic was local news that means that it was more town then national daily. After 1995 the main topic in Kauno Diena is urgent news.
Trust in media
Public opinion is an important phenomenon in every democratic country. Because of its complexity all researches provide different definitions. Mostly used is a definition given by B. Hennesy which says that public opinion is the complex of preferences expressed by a significant number of persons on an issue of general importance.
Four companies, Baltic Research, SIC Market Research, Spinter and Vilmorus, regularly accomplish the researches of public opinion in Lithuania. The result of many year researches have shown that Lithuanian society most rely on media. We may notice that the rates of reliability on media are one of the highest and most stabilized in post-communistic countries, they range from 56,9 to 69,6 percent.
According to expert opinion (Rasa Alisauskienes, the director of Baltic Research) four factors determine the high rate of reliability upon media – symbolic function of media, the function of media as a moderator between the government and an individual, the role media as the main resource of information and uncritical estimation of the information media provides.
Since the times of national movement in 1988 the media in Lithuania is one of the most trustworthy institution in society. People are more confident in the press than in government and parliament of their country.
Literature:
T.Kazlauskas, Didžiųjų Lietuvos dienraščių teminė ir struktūrinė kaita pereinant nuo totalitarinio prie demokratinio modelio. Kaunas 2002
V. Stagniūnaitė, Lietuvos visuomenės pasitikėjimo žiniasklaida fenomenas, Kaunas 2002
A.Kuckailis, Lietuvos dienraščių modelių kaita, Kaunas 2002
D. McQuail, Mass – communication theory, 1994
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