First edition of the SUSU corporate publication, the SMART University newspaper, was published on December 6, 1956. On the occasion of the professional holiday, editor-in-chief Nadezhda Yushina spoke about the traditions and everyday life of the editorial office.
– Why do we celebrate this holiday on January 13th?
– Russian Press Day was established in 1991. January 13, 1703 marked the beginning of the periodical press in our country: the first issue of the first Russian newspaper was published. It was called Vedomosti and was created by decree of Peter the Great. Until 1991, Soviet Press Day was celebrated on May 5, in memory of the first issue of Pravda, which had been published on this day in 1912.
– Are there any traditions for celebrating Russian Press Day?
– On this day, it is customary to congratulate everyone who is somehow related to the work of print media: nowadays, these are not only journalists, printers, layout designers, but also, for example, website editors. Our team celebrates two professional holidays that appear to be almost next to each other in the calendar: December 6 – the newspaper’s birthday, and January 13 – Russian Press Day. Therefore, before or after the New Year, we get together, discuss achievements, share ideas, and make plans…
– Could you please tell us a little about the history of the newspaper?
– It was initially called Polytechnic Personnel and had only two black-and-white pages. The university grew and developed and so did the newspaper: it “fattened” to 16 pages and began to be printed in colour. Its name also changed: in 1991, the publication became Technopolis, and since 2018 it has had its current name, SMART University. The names of the editors-in-chief, such as Gili Paley, Sergey Tulinsky, Larisa Biteeva, Mikhail Boguslavsky, Andrey Glushkov, are written in gold letters in the history of both the newspaper and the university. Thanks to them, many student correspondents were able to develop their literary talent and become journalists and writers.
– What does the newspaper write about?
– About everything that is of interest to students and teaching staff. We cover SUSU scientific, educational, cultural, sports, and social life. Topics of publications include: science, study, internship, construction, sports, art and culture, amateur performances, thoughts about the present, past, and future, about the chosen profession. Researchers talk about their developments, university veterans share their memories: this is how the university’s chronicle is compiled line by line. Also, SMART University has a website of the same name, where an electronic version of the newspaper appears some time after the distribution of printed copies.
– Who takes part in preparing the issues? What role do students play?
– The newspaper has a brilliant team. In addition, future journalists learn the basics of the craft in practice, gain experience in editing and reviewing. They collect material: and in the process they learn how to make reports, conduct interviews, and understand why fact-checking is important. The articles fall into the hands of proofreaders: typos, stylistic errors, and unnecessary repetitions need to be removed. Then – layout. And here you are, the readers are holding a fresh issue smelling of printing ink!