The Moscow News
The Moscow News, which began publication in 1930, is Russia’s oldest English-language publication newspaper. Many of its feature articles used to be translated from the Russian language Moskovskiye Novosti.
History [edit]
The Moscow News was founded by American socialist Anna Louise Strong and approved by the Communist leadership - at that time already dominated by Joseph Stalin - in 1930 as an international newspaper with the purpose of spreading the ideas of socialism to international audience. The paper was soon published in many languages, including major world languages, such as French, German, Spanish, and Arabic, as well as languages of neighboring countries, such as Finnish.
In 1949, The Moscow News was shut down after its editor-in-chief, Mikhail Borodin, was arrested (and most likely died in a prison camp (Gulags). The paper resumed publication under the supervision of the Communist Party on January 4, 1956.
In 1985, Gennady Gerasimov was the editor-in-chief. When he hired Bob Meyerson as an editor stylist (a re-write editor), Meyerson (who was the only American pacifist living full-time in the USSR) became the only American working for any Soviet newspaper during the next three years, and he continued working for the paper until 1992. When Gennady Gerasimov left the Moscow News around 1986 to become a spokesman for Michail Gorbachev, Yegor Yakovlev, became the editor-in-chief and helped the newspaper break one taboo after another during the era of Gorbachev's democratic reforms known as glasnost (openness)and perestroika (rebuilding.</ref>
Perhaps in the mid 1990s, Sergey Roy became the editor-in-chief.
In 2004, the Moscow News began to introduce a fully colored front-page.
Under President Vladimir Putin, and suffering from declining sales, Moscow News was bought by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of Russia's oligarchs and owner of Yukos. Khodorovsky hired Yevgeny Kiselyov, an outspoken liberal journalist who started a scandal in the ranks by firing nine veteran journalists. Kiselyov was eventually replaced.
The Moscow News has had numerous other owners: Ogonyok, International Book, and the All-Union Society of Cultural Ties with Foreign Countries among others have had a stake in the historic newspaper at one time or another.
Since 2007, the English version of The Moscow News is partially owned by Russian information agency RIA Novosti, and some of its articles are occasionally translated from Moskovskiye Novosti. The name "Moscow News" belongs to Arcadi Gaydamak, a businessman who now lives in Israel and who proposed in March 2006 to buy back 100% of France Soir shares.[1]
Between January and September 2007, the paper was managed by Anthony Louis,[2] who introduced several changes. The paper's format was changed to a completely new layout with new fonts and masthead design. The paper went from 16 to 32 pages and featured a variety of popular columnists, both Russian and foreigners. Local and business coverage was expanded, as well as a sport and local section that features regular original writing by staff writers, most of whom are expatriates living in Moscow.
Distribution on domestic and international Aeroflot flights was reintroduced as well. The paper is available for free at many business establishments in the Russian capital, and is sold in kiosks at prominent locations, such as Pushkin Square
Between September 2007 and February 2009, the editor-in-chief was Robert Bridge.
In the summer of 2012, the paper's format changed from bi-weekly to weekly, and its news and politics sections took on a broader, more in-depth focus. It runs occasional advertisement, and is distributed largely for free. It continues to cover both Russian and global news and columns by writers including Mark Galeotti. The paper is now 24 pages long and is distributed every Tuesday.
The paper is financed entirely by its owners.
The current acting editor-in-chief is Natalia Antonova.
References [edit]
- Baker, Peter and Susan Glasser. Kremlin Rising. Scribner: New York, 2005. p287.
