Meduza

Meduza

Meduza is an alternative news website based in Latvia that publishes news in the Russian language. It was founded in 2014 by a former editor of the Russian newspaper Lenta.ru after political pressure led to his dismissal. Meduza is known for its independence and high-quality jour
Meduza image
news russian independent-journalism

Meduza: Alternative News Website with Independent Journalism

Meduza is an alternative news website based in Latvia that publishes news in the Russian language, founded by a former editor of Lenta.ru after political pressure led to his dismissal.

What is Meduza?

Meduza is an independent Russian-language news website based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by the former chief editor of Lenta.ru, Galina Timchenko, along with a team of journalists who resigned from Lenta.ru due to political pressure and curtailing of editorial independence.

Meduza aims to publish high-quality journalism and provide objective news and analysis without censorship. The website covers major events in Russia, former Soviet republics, and around the world. It focuses on politics, society, technology, and culture.

Key features that distinguish Meduza include:

  • Editorial independence from the Russian government and investors
  • Base of operations in Latvia allows avoidance of Russian media regulations
  • Innovative news formats such as interactive longreads and visual storytelling
  • Talented team of experienced Russian journalists and editors
  • Clean, readable web design optimized for readability

Since its founding, Meduza has grown to become one of the most popular and respected independent news sources for Russian speakers worldwide. However, the website was designated as a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities in 2021, imposing bureaucratic requirements and threatening its financial viability through loss of advertisers.

Meduza Features

Features

  1. News aggregation
  2. Original reporting
  3. Audio content
  4. Mobile apps
  5. Ad-free experience

Pricing

  • Freemium

Pros

High-quality journalism

Independent news source

Focus on facts over propaganda

Writers based outside Russia

Audio content for multitasking

Cons

Limited brand recognition

Mostly targets Russian speakers

Relies heavily on donations

Blocked in Russia


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