At 27, Ignas Novogreckas has been running the Naujasis Gėlupis newspaper, which serves the Prienai district and Birštonas, for six months. Speaking to LRT RADIO, he shared the challenges of his career choice.
“If someone had told me 15 years ago that I’d become the editor of a regional newspaper, I would have laughed and said only a madman would take on such an adventure,” Novogreckas says.
Although he spends most of his time in the newsroom, his age is not to everyone’s liking. He admits that at times he hears comments such as, “I won’t be managed by someone so young.”
Novogreckas says he entered regional journalism with a mission: to revive it. He believes that a lack of experience did not hold him back because dedication can overcome any obstacle.
“I like challenges, I like learning new things. The pandemic taught me that a person should have more than one profession or craft. What drove me was the desire to improve regional journalism. The potential is there, and everything can be achieved through hard work. There are many young families here, and Kaunas and Alytus are close by.
“In smaller towns people see young people differently. If you show willingness, you’ll be given a chance,” Novogreckas says.
The editor does not just sit in the newsroom. In the mornings, he delivers newspapers to the shops himself before returning to tackle the day’s tasks.
“At the moment there are two of us employed full time, and a few others work on freelance contracts. When I first tried to lay out the newspaper, it was a real struggle. The first time it took me a full day – and it still wasn’t without mistakes,” he admits.
He does not hide the fact that sometimes, after paying the salaries of his colleagues, there is not enough left for his own.
“I know the money will come, I know I’ll get it, and everything will be fine. Since I also do freelance filming and photography, I have income and I’m not complaining. For me it’s not essential to pay myself a salary in the same way I pay the other staff,” the young editor says.
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