The mass media in Belarus consists of TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema, and Internet-based websites/portals. The media is monopolized by the government, which owns all TV channels, most of the radio and print media. Broadcasting is mostly in Russian, and Russian media are widely present. After 2020, all independent media were pushed out of the country. The Law on Mass Media has been repeatedly amended and tightened, making it virtually impossible for independent journalists and publications to operate. European, Ukrainian and news websites were blocked in Belarus. The Constitution of Belarus guarantees freedom of speech, but this is contradicted in practice by repressive and restrictive laws. Arbitrary detention, arrests, and harassment of journalists are frequent in Belarus. Anti-extremism legislation targets independent journalism, including material considered unfavourable to the president. As of 2023, Belarus ranks 157th in the World Press Freedom Index. BBC describes the Belarusian media environment as one of the most repressive in Europe.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government-funded media organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says that "the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed". RFE/RL is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation supervised by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, an independent government agency overseeing all U.S. federal government international broadcasting services. Jeremy Bransten is acting editor-in-chief of RFE.
Memorial is an international human rights organisation, founded in Russia during the fall of the Soviet Union to study and examine the human rights violations and other crimes committed under Joseph Stalin's reign. Subsequently, it expanded the scope of its research to cover the entire Soviet period.
Novaya Gazeta, now Novaya Gazeta Europe, is a Latvia-based independent Russian newspaper. It relocated to Riga, Latvia, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the horrors of the Chechen war, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism in Russia. It was formerly published in Moscow until shortly after the war began, in regions within Russia, and in some foreign countries. The print edition is published on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; English-language articles on the website are published on a weekly basis in the form of the Russia, Explained newsletter. As of 2023, the newspaper had a daily print circulation of 108,000, and online visits of 613,000.
Meduza is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent Lenta.ru news website. Free mobile applications for iOS, Windows Phone, and Android became the basis of the media. A semi-official motto of the portal is "Make the Kremlin sad".
The current government of Russia maintains laws and practices that make it difficult for directors of mass-media outlets to carry out independent policies. These laws and practices also hinder the ability of journalists to access sources of information and to work without outside pressure. Media inside Russia includes television and radio channels, periodicals, and Internet media, which according to the laws of the Russian Federation may be either state or private property.
Lenta.ru is a Russian-language online newspaper. Based in Moscow, it is owned by Rambler Media Group. In 2013, the Alexander Mamut-owned companies "SUP Media" and "Rambler-Afisha" merged to form "Afisha.Rambler.SUP", which owns Lenta.ru. The online newspaper is one of the most popular Russian language online resources with over 600 thousand visitors daily.
Ukraine was in 96th place out of 180 countries listed in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, having returned to top 100 of this list for the first time since 2009, but dropped down one spot to 97th place in 2021, being characterized as being in a "difficult situation".
TV Rain is an independent Russian television channel. Launched in 2010, it has been based in the Netherlands since 2023. It focuses on news, discussions, culture, politics, business reports, and documentaries. TV Rain is owned by journalist Natalya Sindeyeva. Its slogan is "Optimistic Channel."
Galina Viktorovna Timchenko is a Russian-born Latvian journalist and the executive editor, publisher and owner of Meduza.
Maria Mikhailovna Stepanova is a Russian poet, novelist, and journalist. She is the current editor of Colta.ru, an online publication specializing in arts and culture. In 2005, she won the prestigious Andei Bely Prize for poetry. More recently, she also received the 2017–2018 Big Book Prize for her novel In Memory of Memory.
The Insider is an independent online newspaper specializing in Russia related investigative journalism, fact-checking and political analytics. It was founded in 2013 by Roman Dobrokhotov, a Russian journalist and the owner of the newspaper. The newspaper is known for exposing fake news in Russian media. The editorial office of the website is located in Riga, Latvia. Andris Jansons is the editor-in-chief of the website.
Oksana Vasyakina is a Russian poet, artist, curator, and feminist activist.
Roman Aleksandrovich Dobrokhotov is a Russian investigative journalist, political scientist and former activist. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Insider, a Russia-focused media outlet. He is also one of the founders and leaders of the 5th of December Party, a member of the federal political council of the Solidarnost movement and member of the political council of the Solidarnost's Moscow branch.
Proekt is an independent Russian media outlet specialising in investigative journalism. In 2021, Proekt was relaunched as Agentstvo, but restored its original name in 2022, while Agentstvo became a news website.
Roman Sergeyevich Badanin is a Russian journalist and researcher. He is the founder and editor in chief of the Proekt media outlet, former digital platform editor in chief of Forbes Russia, former editor in chief of the Dozhd TV channel and the RBK news agency. He is a CDDRL-JSK Visiting Fellow.
Roman Aleksandrovich Anin is a Russian investigative journalist. He is one of the founders of the independent iStories outlet and a former journalist for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. The main investigation in which he was involved is the investigation of the Panama Papers.
7x7. Horizontal Russia is a Russian independent news website based in the Komi Republic and operating in 31 regions of the European part of Russia.
iStories or Important Stories is an independent Russian website specialising in investigative journalism. The website was founded in 2020 by Russian journalists Roman Anin and Olesya Shmagun. IStories published a number of high-profile investigations. The office of the website is located in Latvia.
Kirill Konstantinovich Martynov is a Russian journalist, political scientist, philosopher and writer. He is the editor in chief of Novaya Gazeta Europe and former associate professor at the Higher School of Economics (HSE).
