The Western Ukrainian regional press in transitional period from totalitarianism to democracy: 1988-1998

Abstract

This article outlines the process of transformation of the Western Ukrainian regional press at the beginning of democratic development in the environment of restored national independence. It installs the role of the press in this context. The methodology of a research includes the content analysis, which involved systematic reading or observation of texts. These results indicate that the press of the Western region of Ukraine emphasizes the special value in the newest processes of state forming. The general trends of the development of the economic, social and political state forming are explored. Basic factors which carried out a shove to subsequent development of media system are highlighted. Periods, marked characteristic changes in the system are determined: exit out of totalitarian influence and legalization of unofficial editions; crash of monopoly of influence, appearance of new editions and market segmentation; functioning in the conditions of political variety and threat of loss of national informative space.The novelty is the key role of the press of the Western region of Ukraine marked during democratic transformations. The value of the democratic press in forming of the state, revival of regional traditions, culture, education and religion is accented. These periodicals were appeared as an alternative of the totalitarian press and had a great influence on subsequent development of the system of the mass media. The practical significance of the article is to follow the line of development of these editions, which should help to create powerful public media in Ukraine.