NEWSru
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox website NEWSru.com was a Russian independent online news site based in Moscow that was generally critical of the Russian government. Launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik in 2000, it closed in 2021 after experiencing difficulties attracting advertisers due to the site's editorial positions. The Israeli sister service Newsru.co.il remains operational<ref name="newsrucoil">Российский сайт NEWSru.com прекратил обновление новостной ленты. Комментарий редакции NEWSru.co.il Template:Webarchive // newsru.co.il, 31.05.2021</ref>
History
NEWSru launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik on August, 28, 2000, with the domain name ntu.ru<ref name="Reuters" /><ref name="MoscowTimes" /> Yelena Bereznitskaya-Bruni replaced the initial Editor in Chief Igor Barchugov in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2002, the state-run OAO Gazprom Media took over NTV,<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and NEWSru remained part of the media empire of former NTV owner and oligarch Vladimir Gusinsky.<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL</ref><ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref> The takeover was seen as a turning point in media freedom in post-Soviet Russia.<ref name="MoscowTimes" />
In 2009, Russian journalist Maria Yulikova described NEWSru as one of the leading independent news sources in Russia.<ref name="my media">Template:Cite journal</ref>
The site primarily operated as a news aggregator.<ref name="Reuters">Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2021, the site announced it would close for "economic reasons" due to a difficulty with attracting advertisers because the site did not follow the editorial line of pro-Kremlin state media.<ref name="Reuters" /> Editor-in-Chief Yelena Bereznitskaya said "In the current situation, we realized that we won’t find funding in the near future for what we love and know how to do — objective news." The site's staff planned to continue to focus on newsru.co.il, its Russian-language Israeli offshoot.<ref name="MoscowTimes">Template:Cite news</ref>
Headquarters and team
NEWSru was based in Moscow, but its editorial team and location were kept secret. The network had two foreign editions: a website in Israel started in December 2005 (newsru.co.il), and a Ukrainian edition based in Kyiv, which was discontinued in March 2017.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
Chief editor Olga Leni admitted that the Ukrainian publication had been subsidized for the entire 10 years of its existence, and the site had never been self-supporting. Other former employees agreed that the site was closed due to a pro-Ukrainian pronouncement on the conflict in Donbas.<ref name=":1" />
References
External links
- Template:Commonscatinline
- NEWSru.com (now only archive) Template:In lang
- NEWSru.co.il Template:In lang