Nusidavimai mūsų periodikos raidoje : draudimų diegimas, draudimų vengimas, draudimų tradicijos kūrimas ; Tendencies in the development of our periodicals: impositions of bans, avoidance of bans, exerience in the tradition of bans

Abstract

The report based on the present text was made at a scientific ference (2003) commemorating the 180th anniversary of the source of Lithuanian periodicals. It addresses historical features of the mass media and their social factors which determined the maturity of the Lithi public opinion. The analysis of the tendencies (from the 19th to 20th c.) and traditions of the Lithuanian mass media is focused on a historical legal, economic, ethic and academic aspect. All historical leaders of Lithuanian society are closely connected with publishing, publicistic and editting work in newspapers. In the between the 19th and the early 20th century politicians felt the bitterness and price of bans, they possibly even formed their "taste". Despite the fact that in 1904 the right to the Lithuanian press was obtained from the Emperor with the proof in the courts of law of the absurdity and legal irrationality of the bans and of Russian law as contradictory and the Lithuanian publicistic writing disclosed it as antagonistic to the Lithuanian nation, nevertheless the experience of bans found its way the period of independent Lithuania. Almost the entire 20th century (except 6 months in 1926 and later from 1989) in the history of national periodicals is, unfortunately, coloured by censorship or / and the so-called self-censorship marks. In the process of the formation of national jurisdiction, starting with the adoption of laws in 1918, the freedom of the press was designated in the initial basic laws of the Constitution as well as in the first State Constitution (1922). Unfortunately, on the basis of others, self-conflicting acts of law, as the analysis of the relationship between press and state shows, it was next to impossible to realise some of the articles prescribed by the Constitution. The Lithuanian press from the very first law on the press (1919) was also regulated by other laws, and sometimes simply conflicting decisions, setting precedents for appropriate institutions to superintend the work of publishers or editors, to instruct them what and how they should present to society, in case of need - to punish them. In 1940 the occupants were able to freely make use of some ban-reflecting, still in force, acts of law of the Republic of Lithuania in order to keep the press in their hands until the so-called "admission" to the structure of the USSR (03/03/1940). Our experience in the sphere of regulation governing public information since the proclamation of Independence in 1918 is based on four press or society information laws together with the latest (2000) edition of the law. Professional journalists, however, lack a seperate legal definition. Their professional status was also unspecified until 1940. Professional requirements for an education level and an ability to work in the sphere of information remain unspecified for a journalist by the legislator since 1990. Freedom has been deceptively granted to the media, thus a journalist has been also left for the freedom of the owners of those mass media. In the legal system of Lithuania, a journalist has no status (reporter, correspondent, reviewer/analyst/critic/editor). The system of the Lithuanian mass media cannot boast of any clear and strong tradition of the party periodicals. It speaks of a distinct lack of a political culture which now determines vague and doubtful means for the furnishing of information, contrastingly estimated by sociologists (it is particularly evident in the background of every election compaign). If a party cannot publish its traditional press, it cannot rally its supporters. In such a case, the party is "bought" or it buys the press.