Lithuania is a small country, but it was re-created by a tough and perceptive nation. Now in this small linguistic space a demanding audience is just starting to develop. Media has to take the place of the fourth estate – all of us realize. However, the essential rights and obligations of the media are still the subject of discussion. In Vilnius the difference of perceptions of media among the young and the senior journalists is becoming more and more obvious.

 

Some old-fashioned publishers and journalists still claim that they are the public sphere. For them it is particularly difficult to reconcile with younger media representatives who admit meeting the requirements of the businessmen and not those of the society.

 

INFORMATION – THE MATTER OF TASTE

 

All journalists who work in Lithuania understand that the help in distinguishing information from scandals is their responsibility for the society. However, when the Prime Minister claims that it is normal even for the government or the ministries to pay for publications in national newspapers, the editors and publishers are those to decide whether the information is news or not, and not the journalists.

 

The fact that the publishers do not publicize their financial operations, or profit, does alarm both young and senior journalist generations. Although, the majority of them are well aware that this “easy” period is going to an end, it is difficult for senior generation to turn their longstanding soviet norms to an independent journalism, which requires great efforts. Meanwhile the only thing that holds back the younger journalists from informing the public is how their pieces are transformed in most of the media outlets after editing.

 

ACTING FOR THE CITY

 

Team of Babel Lietuva had a chance to ascertain the different working styles of generations. The event named “The News Justifies the Means” was organized in Vilnius. The Goštauto street, which is full of editorial offices, was chosen aiming to check the diversity of the reaction of journalists representing the different generations.

 

 

On a sunny morning of May, a cyclist fell down in the middle of that street. 10 photographers simulated the encirclement with complete disregard for the heavy traffic. They also pointed a few cameras  to the journalists who were passing by. Babel photographers  watched and were astonished at varying reactions, which they had the opportunity to record.

 

The older generation was interested in the cyclist lying in the crossroad and tried to avoid the flashlights covering the faces with their hands. “Are you taking photos of us, can we take one?” the youthful question was intended to the photographers by the journalist working in the local media outlet “15 minutes”.

 

The personnel of this newspaper, which has the equivalent called "20 minutes” in Paris, Zurich and Madrid, hopes to get the first profit only next year. However, they have surprised the team of photographers with their sense of sociability and the attention given to the Babel in Vilnius.

 

 

 

 

Erika Lastovskytė,

Dionizas Bajarūnas,

Translation Asta Kraujalytė