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YOUTH’99: AN ESSAY ON A NEWSPAPER PAGE

The current IISEPS project on the role and participation of the young generation in the formation of civil society in Belarus includes, in addition to other research methods, the content analysis of the youth press. The goal of the content analysis was to figure out the public opinion on the young generation’s social potential.

Although the youth press no longer exists in the form of a consistent mechanism strictly controlled and directed, as it was a few years ago, some remnants of that system, such as the newspaper Znamya Yunosti (Youth Banner) and the radio channel Belorusskaya Molodyozhnaya (Belarusian Youth Radio) are still functioning. The country’s oldest youth newspaper Znamya Yunosti has always been a state-run publication. Recently it acquired a new sponsor, the Belarusian Patriotic Union of Youth, and is now accountable to that organization. Formerly the popular radio channel Belorusskaya Molodezhnaya has transformed into a non-state opposition publication under the same name. The two newspapers are now on ideologically polar positions, while targeting the same youth audiences. There are other youth publications, such as the relatively young newspaper Perekhodny Vozrast (Transitional Age) or newspapers published by various youth groups and organizations (for example, Navinki). Perekhodny Vozrast is a teenage rather than youth publication. Therefore, it was not included into our sample. Navinki’s grotesque parody style makes the content analysis of the newspaper based on the same methods as other newspapers, impossible. Therefore, we chose for content analysis the two above mentioned newspapers, Znamya Yunosti and Belarusskaya Molodezhnaya, during the period from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999, complemented by a selection of publications on youth issues, which was prepared by the IISEPS Center for Documentation (it represents a dozen of non-state and state publications.) As a result we had 454 articles that represent the position of both state-run and independent mass media on youth issues.

The first important factor is the distribution of various newspapers’ attention to various youth topics (see Table 1).

Table 1. The distribution of press attention for different kinds of youth problems, %

The data testify that among the most covered topics are rock and pop music and entertainment. The non-state press pays significant attention to legal problems, while state-run newspapers focus on scientific, educational and cultural issues. however, political issues prevail, having practically substituted economic and industrial materials. Some seemingly non-political topics have become so, such as rock music and the Chernobyl catastrophe. At first sight it seems possible to proclaim non-state and state-run publications equally politicized. A closer analysis, however, helps to see differences between the two groups of publications in terms of the promotion of civil society or an opposite kind of society.

First of all, let’s pay attention to the subjects of press reports and the interaction between them (see Table 2).

Table 2. Subjects of activities in the interpretation of youth press, %

The subject’s name

All media

State-run media

Non-state media

S-1

S-2

S-1

S-2

S-1

S-2

The state and central authorities

12.4

12.6

15.6

11.8

9.6

13.3

Local authorities

2.2

3.8

2.4

2.8

2.1

4.6

Courts, prosecutor’s offices and law enforcement agencies

3.8

1.8

0.5

6.7

3.3

State-run enterprises

3.5

4.4

5.7

7.0

2.1

1.7

President

4.6

3.8

8.0

2.8

1.7

4.6

Public organizations
“Malady Front”

4.9

0.4

0.5

8.8

0.8

The Belarusian Patriotic Union of Youth

12.2

6.2

22.6

9.9

2.9

2.9

“Maladaya Gramada”

1.8

0.2

3.3

0.4

The Belarusian Union of Youth

0.9

1.5

1.9

2.4

0.8

The Lenin Communist Union of Belarusian Youth

0.7

1.3

“Civic Forum”

2.0

0.2

3.8

0.4

The Belarusian Association of Young Politicians

2.9

0.4

5.4

0.8

Political parties

1.8

1.1

3.3

2.1

Labor unions

1.1

0.7

2.1

1.3

Youth newspapers

1.3

1.5

2.5

2.9

Companies

1.8

2.0

2.4

1.9

1.3

2.1

Individuals:
Youth leader

1.3

2.7

0.5

2.9

6.7

Student

0.7

2.0

0.9

3.8

0.4

0.4

Professional

1.1

0.4

0.5

0.5

1.7

0.4

Worker or peasant

0.2

0.4

Military or police officer

0.2

0.4

Official

0.2

0.4

Businessman

0.2

0.2

0.4

0.4

Musician or performer

6.0

2.0

2.8

1.4

8.8

2.5

Personality

2.4

4.2

2.4

7.5

2.5

1.3

During the content analysis, two subjects were chosen in each report, one of which was an initiator (S-1) and a counter-subject (S-2), whose activity was provoked by S-1.

Table 2 shows that the main subject and hero of the state-run youth press is the state itself in its various forms, such as official agencies, the president and the Belarusian Patriotic Union of Youth. The domination of these three subjects in state-run mass media is confirmed by the fact that they are not only mentioned more often than other subjects, but also usually act as a source of activity or initiator of an action (S-1). The subjects grouped as “state institutes” are mentioned more often than subjects that represent public organizations or individuals. Most famous youth public organizations have not been mentioned at all. The BPUY substituted all of them.

The data on the non-state press are substantially different. In its reports, state institutes and various public organizations have an equal representation. The former usually are counter-subjects (S-2), while the latter are usually initiators of activities (S-1). Among public organizations, the Malady Front and the Belarusian Association of Young Politicians are most prominent. The press attention to these to organizations is explained by the existence of interesting and charismatic leaders in the MF and the BAYP, rather than ideological reasons. Incidentally, youth leaders, as well as rock musicians, are the most popular heroes of the non-state youth press. In this respect, some peculiarities that might become tendencies are notable. First, the working hero of Soviet times, such as a factory or collective farm worker, or a military man, or a manager, is replaced by an acting hero. Second, this acting hero is not necessarily an artist or celebrity, but also a public figure or a politician. (Based on the results of the content analysis, both groups are equally popular in the press.) Third, the representation of many political leaders in the non-state youth press is very different from the state press’ single “super-leader.” This not only testifies to the fact that the diversity of civil society is expressed in non-state newspapers, but also means that non-state newspapers are beginning to implement a function of political advertising, which is typical of civil society, rather than political propaganda.

Summing up the above, we should note that the politicizing of the two kinds of the press, the state-run press and the non-state press, is a demonstration of two absolutely different models of political activities. On one extreme is the representation of the self-sufficient activities of state agencies. On the other extreme is the representation of the activities of different subjects, among which public organizations are the most important.

In accordance with the project’s topic, the ultimate goal of the content analysis is the interpretation of the data in the civil society paradigm. Let’s define civil society as a set of balanced and controlled by the law ties and relations between independently active subjects both vertically and horizontally, which means their relations to the state and to each other. The description of these relations and the characteristics of their balance and harmony can tell us how close the above discussed social reality is to the standards of civil society. In the entire sample, the ratio of vertical and horizontal relations is 45 per cent to 55% (in the state-run press the proportion of vertical relations is higher – 57% to 43%, while in the non-state press the ratio is 55% to 45% in favor of the horizontal relations). What’s the content of the horizontal and vertical interaction among the subjects of the youth press? (Table 3)

Table 3. The interaction between subjects of press reports, %

Variant of answer

State-run press “vertical”

State-run press “horizontal”

Independent press “vertical”

Independent press “horizontal”

Goals toward counter-subject:
– constructive

85.3

93.5

30.8

91.3

– destructive

4.9

5.2

84.6

23.0

– avoidance

2.9

14.4

1.6

The nature of interaction:
– conflict

9.8

7.8

62.5

15.1

– control

8.8

1.3

20.2

5.5

– compromise

1.0

8.7

15.9

– partnership

80.4

85.7

7.7

61.9

Instruments of interaction:
– Constitution

1.6

– laws

5.9

12.5

2.4

– decrees

17.6

1.3

14.4

0.8

– address, statement

0.8

2.6

14.4

11.1

– elections

2.9

5.2

3.8

3.2

– mass media appearances

4.9

6.5

12.5

10.3

– bans, repressions

0.8

46.2

5.6

– meetings

2.9

5.2

20.2

11.1

– negotiations

11.7

20.8

4.8

5.6

– meetings

41.2

70.1

7.7

7.1

– strikes

1.0

0.8

– bribes

2.9

2.4

– up-bringing, propaganda

14.7

18.2

8.7

31.0

– informal communication

15.7

15.6

1.0

21.4

– art

2.0

7.8

4.8

27.8

– court proceedings, investigation

0.8

3.8

2.4

– appraisal

20.6

14.3

0.8

According to the state press, the relations between the state and its citizens and the state and independent structures are not different from the horizontal relations between citizens, public organizations and other subjects of approximately equal status. In both cases, constructive goals and partnership are prevailing. Legal documents as instruments of vertical relations form the following hierarchy. The Constitution regulates social relations in the least degree. The role of laws is slightly more significant, but the most important are presidential decrees and edicts. The communication channels between authorities and citizens are meetings, propaganda, informal contacts, prizes and gratitude.

In the interpretation of the non-state press, vertical and horizontal relations in the society are opposing to each other. The former are often conflict relations with destructive goals, which results in the use of such instruments, as repressions, bans, protest actions etc.

The results of the content analysis have shown that the state and non-state press describe two different societies rather than one Belarusian society. One is harmonious, while the other is conflicting. One is represented by a variety of public organizations and leaders, while the other is represented by a limited circle of state agencies. Both, however, are far from the ideal of civil society.