Black strips on the titles of “Meduza”, one of the few Russian independent publications. “Censorship is disgusting” / What happened

“Meduza”, one of the most popular Russian independent publications, currently working in exile, appeals to readers for financial support, in an impressive crowdfunding campaign, the publication risking to close. For three days, journalists put “black strips” on some of the titles to describe what the site would have shown if they accept the censorship imposed by Kremlin.

The black strips could be easily eliminated by placing the cursor on the screen. In this way, the titles became visible and the article could be accessed. The publication campaign referred to the censorship imposed by the Russian authorities that do not allow the publication of news about certain people, do not allow the invasion in Ukraine as “war” and restrict, by law, many other uncomfortable topics for the Kremlin.

The campaign with the black strips has been active for three days, this week, to draw attention to the cryDunding efforts, which continue so far, explained the representatives of the Russian publication, in a response to HotNews.

“We reduced salaries. I fired valuable employees. But it's not enough”

“” Meduza “works for free. Many readers have become accustomed to the fact that access to independent information always exists-regardless of the difficulties that journalists are facing. Within our crowdfunding campaign, we decided to put” locking screens “on the materials we could not publish if the” jel Glad to provide you with information that helps you make well -weighed decisions.

The editorial “Meduza” claims that it had to reduce the expenses, but the financial situation remains difficult.

“We did everything in our power to improve the situation. We reduced salaries. We fired employees (very valuable). But it is not enough. To survive, it is critical to increase the number of those who support the editorial with monthly donations, at least up to 15,000 people. Otherwise,” Meduza “will not be the same.

“Meduza” is an independent news site, in Russian and English, based in Riga, Latvia. Publishes news, interviews and independent investigations. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the Lenta.ru news site, which was then independent.

Specifically, the history of the publication began after in 2014, Galina Timcenko was dismissed from the position of editor-in-chief at Lenta.ru by the oligarch Alexandr Mamut, supporter of Vladimir Putin. It happened after Timcenko conducted an interview with the leader of the sector Right group, Dmyro Yarosh. Subsequently, several former journalists from Lenta.ru joined the new site, with a total of about 20 employees. It is considered that a less official motto is “make the Kremlin sad.”

In March 2022, one month after the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the Meduza site had between 12 and 18 million visitors monthly. Most readers are under 45 years old.

On January 26, 2023, the Russian General Prosecutor's Office appointed Jord as a “unwanted organization” in Russia. In March 2023, Timcenko said that although “Russian propaganda has huge financial resources” and the government can spend billions to spread misinformation, the jellyfish is based on “a small crowdfunding campaign supported by people from all over the world and some support from international organizations”.

In July, a court in Moscow has issued an arrest warrant for Galina Timcenko, the founder of Meduza, on the charge of managing the activities of an “unwanted organization”. The documents indicate that the court approved the request of the prosecutors on July 9, on the same day it was received.