Journalists of Liquidated Newspaper Establish Web-site
Despite the attempt of the authorities to liquidate the local independent press, journalists continue their professional activity. In August the economic court satisfied the suit of Minsk Regional Executive Committee for liquidation of the private venture Press-service that issued Kuryer iz Borisova. As a result, the newspaper had to stop publishing as well.
However, the editorial staff of the newspaper didn’t dissolve and takes great efforts to survive. The journalists established the web-site Electronic Barysau, where one can read a number of interesting articles about the local life and meetings of citizens with oppositional politicians. One of the last articles was devoted to emigration from Belarus: this process is actively discussed in the journalist circles due to the state pressurization of non-state mass media.
To earn money, the journalists deal with issue of different printed production: calendars, posters, visit cards, etc., work as admen. Of course, they started to pay less attention to journalism, because the work at the site is not paid.
Barysau still has one non-state newspaper, Barysauskia Naviny. However, this edition and its chief editor Anatol Bukas have also felt the state pressure this year. For instance, Mr. Bukas was found guilty in violation of the criminal legislation for a critical article about the head of the local state newspaper.
The journalist Alies Abramovich told to RFE/RL:
-- Belposhta (state distribution net) didn’t include Barysauskia Naviny into the subscription catalog. At present Barysauskia Naviny conducts the subscription campaign on its own. People are subscribed to it at the editorial office. The newspaper also prints the ads that people can subscribe to it by directing a certain sum of money to the bank account. The journalists intend to go from one flat to another, knocking on people’s doors and proposing them to subscribe to the newspaper.
