Sovetskaya Belorussiya (Belarus Segodnya in Belarusian) is the largest daily newspaper in the Russian language that appears in Belarus. The history of Sovetskaya Belorussiya goes back to 1927 when the newspaper was first printed. The newspaper has been operated since 2018 by the publishing house Belarus Segodnya, which publishes several other media and runs the radio station Alfa.
Media assets
Publishing: Sovetskaya Belorussiya (Belarus Segodnya), Respublika, Narodnya Gazeta, Selskaya Gazeta, Znamya Yunosti
Radio: Alfa Radio
Online: Sb.by
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Belarus Segodnya is run by a company named Belarus Segodnya Publishing House, owned and managed by the Presidential Administration, which is also in charge of appointing the outlet’s top management, according to local journalists and experts.
Source of funding and budget
Belarus Segodnya is majority funded through an allocation from the state budget of the Belarusian government. The publisher also generates funding through advertising sales, according to local journalists and experts.
Editorial independence
Belarus Segodnya is editorially under the tight control of the Belarusian presidential administration. An ad hoc content analysis of its main portal indicates a very high level of propaganda supporting the president.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate the editorial independence of Belarus Segodnya have been identified.
September 2023