April 10, 2011, Bakhchisaray. Although the weather is not snowy, as it is today in Kyiv, people do not take off their outerwear in the hall of the Ismail Gasprinsky Museum. Among the participants of the event are well-known journalists, writers, and members of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.

The purpose of the event is to bring together the Crimean Tatar media community and discuss current issues: why the audience does not read, what is the state of the media targeting the Crimean Tatar community, and what language to publish materials in?

The date was not chosen by chance: on this day (according to the Julian calendar) in 1883, the first issue of Ismail Gasprinsky's newspaper Terdzhiman (Translator) was published, which actually began the history of the Crimean Tatar press.

Gasprinsky had been preparing to publish the newspaper for 4 years. In 1879, he tried to publish a periodical in the Crimean Tatar language, Faidali Eglence (“Useful Entertainment”), but it did not last long. A year later, the main Crimean Tatar educator tried to get permission to publish another media outlet called “Law,” but the imperial authorities refused Gasprinsky because the censors did not know Crimean Tatar. Nevertheless, Ismail Bey was patient, balanced, and a bit stubborn: In 1882, he published a trial issue of Terdzhiman-Translator, and in February 1883 he received permission to publish a newspaper censored by the Karaite Ilya Kazas.

But let's go back to 2011, when representatives of the Crimean Tatar media decided that this day would be the day of the Crimean Tatar press in the Gasprinsky Museum hall. It is interesting that in the ATR TV channel's report on this event, the word “matbuat” is used, i.e. press, media.

But in the people's minds, this day has been fixed as the “day of Crimean Tatar journalism,” which raises certain questions. What is Crimean Tatar journalism? Is it made by Crimean Tatars? For Crimean Tatars? In the Crimean Tatar language? On Crimean Tatar topics?

Perhaps the emergence of this term is due to the fact that the beginning of the 21st century was a period of certain prosperity for the Crimean Tatar people, when it became possible to move from the values of survival to the values of development. During this period, a parallel Crimean Tatar reality was created in Crimea, where institutions or associations appeared that sometimes had legitimacy only within the community and therefore had to be somehow defined. This is how “Crimean Tatar journalism” appeared among the people. As with the entire Crimean Tatar period of return, it was in spite of it.

But is it correct and relevant to use this term today? And wouldn't it be right to return to celebrating the “Day of Crimean Tatar Media,” which really begins with Gasprinsky's Terdzhiman and has a long, varied, and interesting history?