Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Российская газета) is a government-owned and -published newspaper serving as the official gazette of the Russian government. In addition to news, the newspaper serves as a repository for all official legal documents and statements issued by the Russian government. The newspaper first appeared in 1990 and has since grown to become one of the largest in Russia in terms of circulation.
Media assets
Publishing: Rossiyskaya Gazeta
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Rossiyskaya Gazeta is a fully government-owned publication, according to Russian experts consulted for this report in March 2023 and June 2024.
Source of funding and budget
Rossiyskaya Gazeta is financed through a combination of advertising revenues and state subsidies. According to Russian experts consulted for this report in March 2023 and June 2024, the state contribution accounts for more than 50% of the newspaper’s expenditure.
Editorial independence
Rossiyskaya Gazeta’s objective is to disseminate information from the Russian government to the Russian public. Consequently, their coverage is designed to advance the government’s policies, as evidenced by interviews with Russian experts conducted in March 2023 and June 2024.
To date, no domestic statute or mechanism of independent assessment or oversight to validate Rossiyskaya Gazeta’s editorial independence has been identified.
September 2024