Svoboda is the oldest existing Ukrainian newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 and the most widely read in the Western world.

History

Svoboda was founded in Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

 on 11 September 1893 by Father Hryhoriii Hrushka. It became a bi-weekly newspaper on 1 March 1894, a tri-weekly on 8 August 1914, and a daily on 3 January 1921. Svoboda was an important 'mouthpiece" for Ukrainians in North America, and played an important role in the discussing and solving of immigrant

Immigration to the United States

Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding ethnicity, economic benefits, jobs for non-immigrants,...

 difficulties. Prior to the establishment of Ukrainian-Canadian periodicals (for eg. the Kanadiiskyi Farmer ("Canadian Farmer"), it was the only Ukrainian-language newspaper of any note in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

Ukrainians not only in the United States and Canada, but also in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Galicia, and Bukovyna, subscribed to it. It provided a channel of communication for those of the intelligentsia concerned with emigration of Ukrainian peasant

Peasant

A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...

s and life in the New World

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...

.

The Ukrainian intelligentsia

Intelligentsia

The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...

, through Svoboda, sought to prepare the peasants for an improved lifestyle, and to offer advice in regard to breaking out of the peasant mold and to conform to the ideals of European civilization. Through a program of enlightenment, Svoboda promoted the establishment of Ukrainian schools, the learning of Ukrainian language and history.

At one time it had a circulation

Newspaper circulation

A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...

of approximately 18,000, the largest among Ukrainian papers in the West.