Sovetskaya Belorussiya (Belarus Segodnya in Belarusian) is the largest daily newspaper in the Russian language published in Belarus. Sovetskaya Belorussiya has a long history, dating back to 1927 when the newspaper first began printing. Since 2018, the publishing house Belarus Segodnya has operated the newspaper. Belarus Segodnya also publishes several other media outlets 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 called Belarus Segodnya Publishing House, owned and managed by the presidential administration, which also appoints the paper’s top management, according to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May 2024.
Source of funding and budget
The majority of funding for Belarus Segodnya is sourced from an allocation in the Belarusian government’s state budget. Additionally, the publisher generates revenue through advertising sales, as reported by local journalists and industry experts interviewed for this report in May 2024.
Editorial independence
Belarus Segodnya is editorially under the tight control of the Belarusian presidential administration. An ad hoc content analysis of its main portal conducted in March-April 2023 indicates a very high level of pro-presidential propaganda.
No domestic statute or independent assessment/oversight mechanism that would validate the editorial independence of Belarus Segodnya has been identified.
September 2024