Izvestiya

   Newspaper. Izvestiya is a high-circulation, quality daily newspaper and one of the oldest publications in Russia. In Russian, the word izvestiia means “messages,” and is derived from the verb izvesha’, meaning “to inform” (the word izvestiia is, in fact, used in titles of many Russian news publications). During the Soviet era, Izvestiya presented the official views of the Soviet government and published copies of important official documents and laws, while Pravda> was the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Izvestiya remained one of the few newspapers with national coverage. Vladimir Potanin owned the newspaper until 2005, when Gazprom acquired it. At that point, the circulation of the newspaper was approximately 250,000 copies per day. The newspaper has a very well-developed website (www.izvestia.ru/) and positions itself as a multimedia news agency rather than a traditional newspaper. Since 2005, The New York Times has used Izvestiya to publish its Russian version. The newspaper is managed by Pyotr Godlevsky, and its editor-in-chief is Vladimir Mamontov.

   See also Media.