Newspapers in belarus

Several newspapers, printed either in Belarusian or Russian, provide general information or special interest content, such as business, politics or sports. There are two types of newspaper, divided into sharply contrasting camps, namely state-owned and privately-owned. State-owned newspapers make up some 80-85 percent of newspapers in circulation. The state-owned newspapers have large circulations running into hundreds of thousands.

Since 1999, it became obligatory to register with the state press distributor.

As of August 2007, there are 1244 registered periodicals in Belarus: 703 newspapers, 503 magazines, 34 bulletins, 3 catalogues, 1 almanac. Almost two thirds of all registered periodicals are non-governmental. The periodicals include publications in Belarusian, Russian, German, English, Ukrainian, Polish, and other European languages.

The most important of these is the daily Sovetskaya Belarussia – Belarus segodnya (Soviet Belarus – Belarus Today), published by the presidential administration, with a circulation of about 500,000.

It is followed by (34.2 thousand), ( 49.4 thousand) Belaruskaya Niva (25 thousand), Narodnaya Gazeta (30 thousand), 7 dnei (37.1 thousand), Znamya Junosti (25.7 thousand).

The total circulation of 136 newspapers state-owned newspapers is 869.4 thousand, including: 163.1 thousand in Brest oblast, 175.3 - in Vitebsk oblast, 141.1 - in Gomel oblast, 108.7 in Grodno oblast, 160 - in Minsk, and 121.2 - in Mogilev.

According to Belarusian Association of Journalists there are only 30 independent periodicals in Belarus covering social and political issues .

The newspapers in the Belarusian language are Golas Radzimy (Voice of the Motherland), Narodnaja Volya (The People's Will), Narodnye Naviny Vitsebska (The People's Vitebsk News), Naša Niva (Our Cornfield), Novy Chas (The New Hour), Pahonia , Zviazda (Star). In the Russian language: 7 Dney (Seven Days), Belaruski Chas (Belarusian Hour), BelGazeta, Gomelskaya Pravda (Gomel Truth), and others.

All media companies are regulated by the Law On Press and Other Mass Media, passed on January 13, 1995. This grants the freedom of press; however, Article 5 states that slander cannot be made against the president of Belarus or other officials outlined in the national constitution. The Belarusian Government has since been criticized for acting against media outlets. Newspapers such as Nasa Niva and the Belaruskaya Delovaya Gazeta have been targeted for closure by the authorities after they published reports critical of President Lukashenko or other government officials. The OSCE and Freedom House have commented regarding the loss of press freedom in Belarus. In 2005, Freedom House gave Belarus a score of 6.75 (not free) when it came to dealing with press freedom.

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The first newspaper on the territory of contemporary Belarus is believed to have been Gazeta Grodzen'ska (1776). It was published in Polish in a two-page format. Starting in 1838 the official newspapers were published in Russian (since it was an official language of the Russian Empire): Vitebskie gubernskie novosti (Vitebsk Provincial News, also Grodno, Minsk, and Mogilev). In 1862-63 K. Kalinoiskii published an underground newspaper, Muzhytskaia prauda (Peasant Truth) in Belo Russian language. The first authorized printing house for Belo Russian language publications was opened in 1906, Nashe Delo (Our Cause). After the October 1917 socialist revolution led by Lenin, several republican and provincial newspapers were established. In 1924 (district), in 1938 (regional), and in 1954 (papers at both district and region levels).

The most distinctive feature of journalism and media in general is that it is practiced in Russian. That makes sense since in a century before the 1917 Bolshevik revolution only 13 out of 249 publications were in Belo Russian language.

During the years of independence the number of magazines and periodicals rose sharply from 129 in 1990 to 354 in 2001. However, the yearly number of printing copies went down from 54.1 million to 16 million. The country is open to Russian language publication from the Russian Federation as well.

Some Russian Federation newspapers have local editions: Komsomol'skaia Pravda prints 220,000 copies on Friday and 30,000 on a regular day. The most circulated Russian newspaper, Argumenty I facty (Arguments and Facts) has a 160,000 daily circulation in Belarus and includes a special local supplement.

As of January 1, 1995 in the republic there were published 525 newspapers. The national newspapers that belong to the government and are subsidized from the national budget date their existence back to Soviet times: Zviazda (Star), Literatura I mastatstva (Literature and Art), Sovetskaia Belarus (Soviet Belarus, in Russian, available on-line), Chyrvonaia zmena (Red Relief), Respublika (Republic), Narodnaia gazeta (People's Newspaper, in Russian), Nastaunitskaia gazeta (Teacher's Newspaper). Regional newspapers are: Zaria (Dawn, Brest), Minskaia prauda (Minsk Truth), Magileuskaiaprauda (Mogilev Truth). The titles of most of these newspapers have not changed since the Soviet Era. This fact suggests the much larger and pervasive difficulties and challenges of transition from Communism to post-communist society in this former Soviet Republic.

In the capital six non-government newspapers of general interest are published. Only one of them, Narodnaia Volia, can be considered daily (five issues a week). The second place belongs to Belorusskaia delovaia gazeta (four times a week, available on-line). The rest are typical large format weeklies.

Theoretically diverse political parties, civil organizations and movements, artistic and professional groups, and private citizens, all have a right to publish their own printed media. More than 1,000 newspapers and magazines are registered in the country. In fact, 80 percent of them belong to private citizens or businesses. However, only few non-government papers have a circulation running in tens of thousands: Narodnaia Volia, 75,000; Belorusskaia Delovaia Gazeta and Belorusskaia Gazeta, 20,000. The vast majority of regional papers have a circulation from several hundred to two or three thousand copies. The circulation of government papers surpasses those of private at the ratio of ten to one. To this should be added a variety of official local newspapers and those published by the government ministries. Vo slavu Rodiny (For the Glory of the Motherland) is published by the Ministry of National Defense for the purpose of indoctrination work in the armed forces. The industrial factories and Soviet era kolkhozy and sovkhozy (collective and Soviet peasant farms) also publish their own tabloid size four-page newspapers called mnogotirazhka. Minsk Auto Factory (MAZ) has its own Avtozavodets paper.

All government papers are subsidized from the budget, either presidential or national, or from the special foundations held by industrial enterprises. Though the printing costs in the republic are high, the sales price is brought down by heavy subsidies. There are no problems with distribution for government paper. The local authorities mandate their subordinates and managers of the state firms and enterprises to subscribe to government papers, both national and regional. This is another Soviet-like feature of the