Novaya Gazeta

Novaya Gazeta is an independent Russian newspaper known for its investigative journalism.

Investigative journalism involves searching for deep truths about politics and social issues. The paper focuses on topics like corruption among the ruling elite and increasing authoritarianism in Russia. It also provides critical coverage of the Chechen wars. Because it reports on sensitive subjects, the newspaper plays a vital role in safeguarding freedom of expression. This is the right of people to share ideas without government interference.

The newspaper's origins date back to 1993. A group of former journalists from Komsomolskaya Pravda organized the publication. Its original name was Daily New Gazette. Mikhail Gorbachev played a crucial role in its early years. He used funds from his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize to help establish the paper. These funds were also used to purchase the organization's first computers. The ownership structure is also unique. As of 2017, the newspaper's employees jointly owned 76% of its shares. The remaining 24% was held by Alexander Lebedev and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Throughout its history, Novaya Gazeta has faced intense legal and financial pressure. In 2002, the paper faced a major libel suit from the International Industrial Bank. A Moscow court ordered the paper to pay 15 million rubles, which was about $500,000. This was an unprecedented sum that threatened the existence of the newspaper. Later, in 2004, the paper published articles accusing Sergey Kiriyenko of embezzling $4.8 billion. These accusations were based on a letter that was actually a prank by a tabloid. Consequently, a court ordered the newspaper to retract the publications.

Digital challenges have also targeted the publication. On January 26, 2010, the newspaper's website suffered a massive denial-of-service cyber attack. This is a type of attack where a server is overwhelmed with traffic. At its peak, the server received 1.5 million connections per second. This attack effectively took the website offline. To maintain an online presence, the staff used LiveJournal, a social networking service. The website was targeted again in 2011 by a similar botnet attack.

Journalists at the paper have faced extreme physical danger. Since the year 2000, seven journalists have been murdered in connection with their investigations.

Notable victims include Yuri Shchekochikhin and Anna Politkovskaya. In 2000, journalist Igor Domnikov was attacked near his apartment. He suffered severe brain injuries and died shortly after. In 2018, the office received threatening deliveries, including a severed ram's head, following an investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The year 2021 brought significant recognition for the paper's leadership. Editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

He shared the prize with Maria Ressa. They were honored for their work in safeguarding freedom of expression in their homelands. Muratov has led the paper through many eras, including serving as editor-in-chief for 22 years. He was elected by the editorial staff through a secret ballot.

Recent political shifts have forced the newspaper to change how it operates. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government increased censorship. The Russian federal agency Roskomnadzor issued warnings to the paper. In response, the newspaper suspended its print and online activities within Russia in March 2022. To continue its work, the staff launched a European edition called Novaya Gazeta Europe.

This new edition was launched from Riga, Latvia, to avoid censorship. The organization has since expanded to include offices in Germany and Paris.

Despite these challenges, the newspaper maintains a large audience. As of 2023, the daily print circulation was 108,000. The website also receives approximately 613,000 visits. The paper continues to report on complex issues, such as the 2017 reports regarding anti-gay purges in Chechnya. In 2022, it also launched a magazine called Novaya Rasskaz-Gazeta. Although the Russian government revoked its media license and blocked its websites, the organization continues to operate internationally.