THE ROLE OF THE NEWSPAPER “EKRAN I ZHYTTIA” IN THE COVERAGE OF 1990 ELECTIONS IN KYIV

Abstract

The article is devoted to study the contribution of the newspaper “Ekran i zhyttia” as the press organ of the Kyiv Dovzhenko Film Studios in the coverage of 1990 republican and local elections in Kyiv. It’s found that the beginning of the representation of problems of the mentioned elections was related to the publication of the report in the issue of 3 July 1989 on the meeting of the ideological commission of the Radianskyi district committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) with discussions on the past 1989 elections of People’s Deputies of the USSR and development of measures to prepare for 1990 republican and local elections. It’s discovered that later during 1989 there were no discussions about the draft electoral laws, but along with this the attention to the called elections increased in November 1989 due to the coverage of the consideration of questions of the interaction with leaders of the Kyiv City branch of the CPU and the approval of the electoral platform of the Radianskyi district party organization. In December 1989 the editorial board of the newspaper “Ekran I zhyttia” launched the column named “Your choice” with the first publication in the form of clarification of the legal adviser of the film studios. The peak of publications on elections in the newspaper “Ekran i zhyttia” came in January and February 1990 in the context of nomination and registration of candidates for deputies to the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR, the Kyiv City Council and the Radyanskyi submunicipal Council. Chronologically first among the called materials were reports on the 9th united plenum of the board plus the audit commission of the Ukrainian Association of Cinematographers and the conference of the labor collective of the Kyiv Dovzhenko Film Studios with nomination of candidates for deputies. Later the editorial board of the multi-copy newspaper published lists of candidates for deputies to the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR and the Kyiv City Council received from circuit electoral commissions and showing the numbers and features of such candidates in some constituencies together with centers of city constituencies. During February 1990 there were printed electoral programs of employees of the Kyiv Film Studios who ran for the Kyiv City Council and Radyanskyi submunicipal Council. However, the coverage of issues of elections was stopped in the newspaper “Ekran i zhyttia” since March 1990, so there is no information in its issues about results of the elections. According to the results of research it’s revealed that the coverage of preparation for 1990 elections and of their course covered the period from July 1989 to February 1990 mainly within the borders of the Radyanskyi district of Kyiv.