Support The Moscow Times!

Independent Newspaper Novaya Gazeta Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

Novaya Gazeta / Youtube

Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper launched a crowdfunding campaign this week, asking readers to support its aggressive investigative work.

Founded by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993, Novaya Gazeta gained a reputation for hard-hitting journalism on topics including the 2014 downing of flight MH17 and the 2016 Panama Paper leaks. Six Novaya Gazeta journalists have been killed, most notably Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, and, in more than one instance, the paper itself has found itself on the verge of closure.

On Tuesday, the paper’s editorial team reached out to readers with a request to donate to help the outlet maintain its pace of coverage.

“The newspaper hasn’t exercised this right for 25 years, but time has come to change that,” Novaya Gazeta wrote. “You, readers, can forever change the fate of Novaya Gazeta.”

By donating, the plea said, the paper’s content will remain free to its readers, rather than behind a paywall.

In its request for funding, editors also spoke about the high financial and human cost of their 25 years of reporting — the death of their colleagues — but also noted their work had saved lives.

“Reporting should not kill, it must save. Like the work of Novaya Gazeta columnist Major Vyacheslav Izmailov, thanks to which almost two hundred Russian soldiers returned home from Chechen captivity,” it said.

The paper dubbed its funding campaign “Become a Participant,” using the Russian word “Souchastnik,” which can mean both a supporter and a criminal accomplice.

“That’s the meaning of complicity: a joint participation in someone’s fate,” Novaya Gazeta said.

Legislation signed into law by President Vladimir Putin last year allows Russian prosecutors to label media which receives funding from abroad as “foreign agents."

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more