Turning the pages back... October 31, 1965 (10/31/99)

Turning the pages back...

October 31, 1965

Fourteen years ago on this date, the first conference of Ukrainian journalists concluded at Soyuzivka, the upstate New York resort of the Ukrainian National Association. More than 100 Ukrainian journalists, editors, reporters and free-lance writers from across the United States and Canada gathered over the weekend of October 29-31 to attend that milestone gathering of the Ukrainian working press.

The conference was convened on the initiative of the Association of Ukrainian Journalists in America in cooperation with a similar body headquartered in Toronto. Conference participants spent two days in debate and deliberation on the problems confronting the Ukrainian press in the free world, with a view toward preparing the groundwork for an organization that would embrace all Ukrainian journalists on this continent.

The Weekly reported the following:

"In a declaration of principles, adopted unanimously by all registered delegates, the conference called for the establishment of a uniform code of ethics and working principles to serve as a guide for all members of the Ukrainian free press. The declaration also specifies that the second conference is to be held next year in Toronto, at which time a federation of Ukrainian journalistic organizations should come into being.

"The conference was opened by Ivan Kedryn-Rudnytsky, president of the Association of Ukrainian Journalists in America, who read the proposed agenda for the two-day session. The conference's presidium was elected as follows: Mr. Kedryn-Rudnytsky, chairman, Michael Sosnowsky and Natalie Kohusky, vice-chairmen, Roman Kryshtalsky and Stephen Rosocha, secretaries.

"Wasyl Sofroniw-Levytsky, editor of the New Way Ukrainian weekly published in Winnipeg, was the first of three speakers who addressed the gathering in the course of Saturday's session. [He] reviewed the state of the Ukrainian press in the United States and Canada, describing in general terms each of the existing publications, their volume, circulation and other basic characteristics. ... [and] presented his conclusions in the form of six proposals which were later incorporated in the declaration of principles

"Mstyslav Dolnycky, editor of America, discussed the problems of the Ukrainian English-language publications ... [and] criticized what he said was at best an attitude of indifference displayed by the publishers and the Ukrainian-language papers toward their English-language counterparts. Badly understaffed - usually limited to one man - these newspapers cannot develop, said Mr. Dolnycky, unless their staffs are enlarged to include more correspondents and contributors trained in the art of journalism. He also criticized those newspapers which are devoid of any material pertaining to the Ukrainian community and its activities.

"Anthony Dragan, editor of Svoboda, elaborated in detail on the fundamental principles of journalism as practiced in the United States and Canada. In an obvious attempt to project the application of these principles to the Ukrainian press and publications. Mr. Dragan dealt at length on the meaning of such terms as freedom of the press, public opinion, constructive criticism, objective reporting, editorial stand and commenting, the role of the crusading press and other features of the free press in relation to society. Mr. Dragan, pointing to the specific function of the Ukrainian press in the free world, urged the adoption of a set of working rules as a bona fide guide for all working journalists."

Source: "Journalists meet in first conference at Soyuzivka," The Ukrainian Weekly, November 6, 1965.

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