{{Short description|Former Russian news website}} {{Distinguish|news.ru{{!}}NEWS.ru}}<!-- NOTE: This is a red link at present, but given the similarity with the NEWSru.com site it appears to be important to distinguish the two sites. --> {{Infobox website | name = NEWSru.com | logo = 260px260px260px | screenshot = | caption = | url = [http://newsru.com newsru.com]<br/>[http://www.newsru.co.il newsru.co.il]<br/>[http://www.newsru.ua newsru.ua] | commercial = Yes | type = News site | language = Russian, Ukrainian | registration = Free/Subscription | owner = Vladimir Gusinsky | author = | launch_date = August 28, 2000 | current_status = Russian branch is inactive from May 31, 2021 (news archive publicly available), Ukrainian branch inactive since 2017, Israeli branch active | revenue = }} '''NEWSru.com''' was a Russian independent online news site based in Moscow that was generally critical of the Russian government. Launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik in 2000, it closed in 2021 after experiencing difficulties attracting advertisers due to the site's editorial positions. The Israeli sister service ''Newsru.co.il'' remains operational<ref name="newsrucoil">[https://www.newsru.co.il/world/31may2021/newsrucom.html Российский сайт NEWSru.com прекратил обновление новостной ленты. Комментарий редакции NEWSru.co.il] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531191404/https://www.newsru.co.il/world/31may2021/newsrucom.html}} // newsru.co.il, 31.05.2021</ref>
==History== thumb|Empty office of NEWSru.com NEWSru launched by Russian internet pioneer Anton Nossik on August, 28, 2000, with the domain name ntu.ru<ref name="Reuters" /><ref name="MoscowTimes" /> Yelena Bereznitskaya-Bruni replaced the initial Editor in Chief Igor Barchugov in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|last=www.omnesmedia.com|title=News RU|url=https://www.omnesmedia.com/en/company/news-ru|access-date=2020-09-03|website=www.omnesmedia.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2002, the state-run OAO Gazprom Media took over NTV,<ref>{{cite web|first=Natalia|last=Khaitina|url=http://www.netoscope.ru/news/2001/04/16/2074.html|title=NTV and NTV.ru — two big differences|publisher=Netoscope|language=ru|date=2001-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060105155754/http://www.netoscope.ru/news/2001/04/16/2074.html/|archive-date=2006-01-05}} [http://netoscope.narod.ru/news/2001/04/16/2074.html Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823034047/http://netoscope.narod.ru/news/2001/04/16/2074.html/ |date=2011-08-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Natalia|last=Khaitina|url=http://www.netoscope.ru/theme/2001/04/19/2095.html|title=NTV.ru left Ostankino|publisher=Netoscope|language=ru|date=2001-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723084050/http://netoscope.ru/theme/2001/04/19/2095.html|archive-date=2012-07-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> and NEWSru remained part of the media empire of former NTV owner and oligarch Vladimir Gusinsky.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netoscope.ru/press-releases/27.html|title=NTV.ru server revealed|publisher=Netoscope|language=ru|date=2000-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928060502/http://www.netoscope.ru/press-releases/27.html|archive-date=2007-09-28}} [http://netoscope.narod.ru/press-releases/27.html Alt URL]</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Natalia|last=Khaitina|url=http://www.netoscope.ru/news/2000/08/28/147.html|title=NTV.ru site opened before the target date|publisher=Netoscope|language=ru|date=2000-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928060633/http://www.netoscope.ru/news/2000/08/28/147.html|archive-date=2007-09-28}} [http://netoscope.narod.ru/news/2000/08/28/147.html Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823033555/http://netoscope.narod.ru/news/2000/08/28/147.html |date=2011-08-23 }}</ref> The takeover was seen as a turning point in media freedom in post-Soviet Russia.<ref name="MoscowTimes" />
In 2009, Russian journalist Maria Yulikova described NEWSru as one of the leading independent news sources in Russia.<ref name="my media">{{cite journal|first=Maria|last=Yulikova|title=My Media|journal=Index on Censorship|volume= 37|issue=1|date=February 2008|pages=179–182 |doi=10.1080/03064220701882772|url=http://www.carnegie.ru/en/pubs/media/77876.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901152357/http://www.carnegie.ru/en/pubs/media/77876.htm|archive-date=2009-09-01|doi-access=free}}</ref>
The site primarily operated as a news aggregator.<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |title=Russia's Newsru media outlet announces closure, blames political situation |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-media-newsru-idUSL5N2NI155/ |access-date=20 November 2023 |work=Reuters |date=2021-05-31}}</ref>
In May 2021, the site announced it would close for "economic reasons" due to a difficulty with attracting advertisers because the site did not follow the editorial line of pro-Kremlin state media.<ref name="Reuters" /> Editor-in-Chief Yelena Bereznitskaya said "In the current situation, we realized that we won’t find funding in the near future for what we love and know how to do — objective news." The site's staff planned to continue to focus on newsru.co.il, its Russian-language Israeli offshoot.<ref name="MoscowTimes">{{cite news |title=Russia's Newsru.com News Site Shuts Down After 21 Years |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/05/31/russias-newsrucom-news-site-shuts-down-after-21-years-a74057 |access-date=20 November 2023 |work=Moscow Times |date=2021-05-31}}</ref>
== Headquarters and team == NEWSru was based in Moscow, but its editorial team and location were kept secret. The network had two foreign editions: a website in Israel started in December 2005 (newsru.co.il), and a Ukrainian edition based in Kyiv, which was discontinued in March 2017.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=newsru.com|url=https://www.eurotopics.net/en/191958/newsru-com|access-date=2020-09-02|website=eurotopics.net|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://day.kyiv.ua/ru/article/media/populyarnyy-portal-newsruua-zakrylsya|title=Популярный портал NEWSru.ua закрылся | Газета «День»}}</ref>
Chief editor Olga Leni admitted that the Ukrainian publication had been subsidized for the entire 10 years of its existence, and the site had never been self-supporting. Other former employees agreed that the site was closed due to a pro-Ukrainian pronouncement on the conflict in Donbas.<ref name=":1" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commonscatinline}} * [http://www.newsru.com NEWSru.com] (now only archive) {{in lang|ru}} * [http://www.newsru.co.il NEWSru.co.il] {{in lang|ru}}
Category:News agencies based in Russia Category:Defunct websites Category:Russian news websites Category:Ukrainian news websites Category:Internet properties established in 2000 Category:Israeli news websites Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2021 Category:Vladimir Gusinsky