New Year, New Media
Recently Time magazine picked the Virtual Community as its 2006 Person of the Year. Belarusians too are now a part of this community, and the country is on the verge of a virtual revolution. As a journalist returning from two years abroad, I found that the Belarus media scene hasn't changed much physically - the hardware is still the same, though there are fewer and fewer independent newspapers available. But in a virtual sense, the Belarusian information space has been transformed. This was already clear in March 2006, when, for the first time, the Internet and cell phones played a key role in post-election demonstrations. Internet forums, skype chats, blogs, online communities, and podcasts ... A year or two ago, these phrases were alien to most Belarusians, even media experts. Today, it is the software that matters--a webversion of a publication is almost required, online newspapers are more popular than printed media, and about 15,000 Belarusians have their own blogs on LiveJournal.
Lukashenka's regime was quite successful in getting rid of traditional independent media. One independent publication after another was shut down using various pretexts. The editors of those which remained tried to survive, always on the defensive, by conforming to ever more draconian regulations and self-censorship. But nothing seemed to make a difference. Just two years ago, the media situation seemed bleak. Even today, Reporters Without Borders ranks freedom of the media in Belarus as amongst the worst in the world, placing it 151 out of 168 countries. But I found that something has changed. Activists have now gone on the offensive. Instead of trying to play by the regime?s rules, independent media in Belarus, with the help of the international community, are working to find new ways and means to disseminate objective information. And on this front, at least, the pro-democratic forces are beating the state and its propaganda machine at their own game - today we are more technologically advanced and much more creative. From the moment I landed, I could see the dramatic increase in free-floating, alternative media, embodied in traditional samizdat, community bulletins, online journalism, cross-border radio, blogs, etc. These new media are diverse, often do not require state registration, and can be produced at home and distributed online, which makes it harder for the authorities to control them.
In Belarus, a whole new media spectrum has arisen. For example, my magazine, Studentskaya Dumka, became the first multimedia publication to be produced on compact discs after the November 2005 print issue was seized for being printed with "poisonous ink" and the magazine was banned. The transformation from a print to a multimedia edition has allowed the magazine to become even more attractive to youth, which is drawn to compact disc and other computer-friendly technology. Like websites and video games, the CD format blends text and pictures with video, sound, music and flash animation. Since compact discs can be easily read, replicated or disseminated on any computer, an almost limitless number of copies can be burned and disseminated underground. Every day, thousands of students are visiting the very popular, Belarusian-language web-portal, studenty.by. Many Belarusians start their day by reading the online paper naviny.by or the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty web-site, thus seeking an alternative to what they hear on state TV and radio. Much that goes unreported by the professional media is appearing online via "the new digital democracy," personal blogs and Internet forums. And political and civic actions, such as flash mobs, are being virtually planned and coordinated. What happens in the country and in the world is being discussed not only in kitchens, but also online, which has become the main platform for open public debate, especially among young people. A leading independent paper, Belgazeta, claims that blogs have become a key force in the current information wars in Belarus. We are also witnessing a renaissance in Belarusian samizdat. Not since the late Soviet period have so many unregistered publications appeared. A prime example, and symbolic for the democratic movement, is a 21st century version of Svaboda. Produced by Miensk-based professional journalists in an electronic format, the layout is sent by email to the regions, where it is printed on risographs and distributed by local activists. Thousands of unregistered local bulletins are being published in small towns and villages across Belarus.
I am not trying to idealize the situation. A pervasive state propaganda continues to penetrate society. Our young people are being brainwashed via courses on state ideology and through state-run TV and radio. Repressions against independent media and journalists continue unabated, the security services monitor the Belarusian Internet, and the authorities are drafting a new law on media, which is primarily targeted at the new virtual and other alternative media. But no matter how hard he tries, Lukashenka does not have the power or resources to completely isolate our country from the rest of the world. Despite all the obstacles, pro-democratic forces are demonstrating a growing ability to supply people with independent information by combining traditional and innovative means. New technologies have opened a virtual door in the information blockade. They are also helping to link Belarusians living inside and outside the country, and build closer connections. If we keep our minds open to accepting and implementing new ideas, real changes will follow the virtual revolution.
Iryna V. is a historian by training and has studied and taught at Belarus State University. She did post-graduate work in public policy, the nonprofit sector and international relations at a leading university in the United States, where she also worked for several key democracy building NGOs and think tanks.
This article appeared in
Belarusian Review, Vol. 18, No.4
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