SOVIET REAR AREA PRESS DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR: THE “SOVIET SIBERIA” NEWSPAPER

Abstract

The article examines the work of mass media in the country's rear areas. The territorial scope of the study is limited to Novosibirsk Oblast, which by the beginning of the war had become one of the largest raw material and industrial centers, and during the war years served as a relocation site for numerous industrial enterprises, material assets, and populations evacuated from western regions. The chronological framework covers the first month of the war (from June 23 to July 23, 1941). Using the regional newspaper “Soviet Siberia” (Novosibirsk) as an example, the article analyzes the activities of mass media during the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. Daily print publications became the primary means of disseminating information to the population and served as tools for agitation and propaganda. Other information sources were limited by wartime requirements concerning radio equipment usage and broadcasting schedules. Daily periodicals allowed for repeated access at readers' convenience. The outbreak of hostilities necessitated certain adjustments in periodical publications, including changes in content presentation and layout. The article examines modifications in the design, structure, and content of newspapers published during this period. The study concludes that there were two distinct stages in the newspaper's adaptation to wartime conditions. During the first stage (until June 15), the emphasis was on agitation and propaganda, characterized by the publication of historical materials and an increase in propaganda illustrations designed to foster confidence in an inevitable and imminent victory. This approach aligned with pre-war sentiments prevalent in the USSR. Subsequently, as enemy forces advanced deeper into the country, both the population and mass media adapted to wartime realities. The regional newspaper shifted its focus to topics such as economic development, increased military and agricultural production, and civil defense tasks, resulting in changes to layout and content presentation style