144 Country Report: Information Network
Traditional:
TASS: This source is a very large Russian news agency that has a mass media registration certificate from the State Press Committees of the Russian Federation. Before, they were a main source of news for all Soviet newspapers. This site is offered in Russian and in English. In my opinion, they are like a CNN. They offer global daily news and are managed by an executive team. Their articles are updated frequently throughout the day as new information is released.
The website can be found at https://tass.ru/
They have a Facebook and Twitter page as well.
This source follows a traditional set up, making their website seem approachable. Also, they have live press center events similar to those of the large media networks in the United States. However, depending on which language you choose, the top headlines change to better fit what they believe you came for.
The Moscow Times: This is an independent news source based in Moscow. The Moscow Times is a large English media outlet, though they offer their news in Russian as well. The news provided is Russian focused. They cover a variety of news from breaking news to business, to climate, to arts and life. The editors and reporters work independently to make the decisions for the site and newspaper. Also, they have video and podcast style news. Like the other Times, their site is updated frequently to stay ahead of current events.
The website can be found at https://www.themoscowtimes.com/news
They have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, VK, and YouTube as well.
CE Noticias Financieras English: This is a subscription style newspaper based in Mexico that provides breaking business, economic, and financial news. However, the publisher is Content Engine, LLC which is headquartered in Miami, Florida. Their content is offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. They post daily updates with over 9,000 articles published per day. They also have a large archive of their content available for professional research purposes. Though a good amount of their content is based around Latin America, they still have the most publishing regarding Russia of all newspapers on Lexus Nexus.
The website for the specific newspaper cannot be accessed without a service like Lexis Nexus, but Content Engine LLC can be found at https://contentenginellc.com/
Izvestia: This is one of the oldest daily broadsheet newspapers in Russia. The newspaper started in the early 1900s and became the official newspaper of the Soviet government. Today they are a national newspaper of Russia and have close ties to the government. They are owned by National Media Group which is the largest private media holding in Russia. However, the ties to the government make it a regulated news source.
The website can be found at https://iz.ru/newspaper
Their content is published in Russian. However, their online content is offered in English as well as Russian. They cover a wide range of content mostly related to Russia but have a global section that reports on international news. The physical newspaper itself is organized in a similar way to a typical U.S. newspaper.
New Media:
What The Papers Say (WPS Agency): This is an independent Russian media monitoring site that keeps track of news across various platforms to provide comprehensive outlooks on current events. They cover almost all Russian media on their site. The editors of the site follow client and readers instruction to provide news on the events they want to see. They take machine searches of online news and readings from print only editions and compare them. They are tailored to researchers, journalists, diplomats, and business professionals.
The website can be found at https://en.wps.ru/
I found this source through Lexus Nexus. Their Russian focus allows them to push out a lot of relevant content in a short period of time. As things escalated in Ukraine, a large amount of the news articles that were being displayed on Lexus Nexus were from WPS. Also, they offer English translated versions of their news and monitoring.
Newstex Blogs: Newstex is an online blog that provides news and commentary to information libraries and marketplaces globally. They cover trends in business, education, finance, health, journalism, law, and technology science. The company is virtual, and their teams work in their own offices across the United States and Europe. With that, their content is in English. Some of their blog content is free through their website, but the rest is provided through their distribution partners like LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters Westlaw.
The website can be found at https://www.newstex.com/blog
Content in the blog is submitted by writers and then is evaluated on content, quality, topic, and length. This process allows them to ensure the quality of their content is on par with the needs of their distribution partners and working professionals. Blog posts are posted daily to stay with the current global news. Though they don’t have a regional focus, Newstex has the most blog posts regarding Russia on LexusNexis.
MENAFN: This is a Middle Eastern business and financial news platform. MENAFN stands for the Middle East North Africa Financial Network. They are an online and wireless technology platform. They have mobile services, their portal or website, an e-newsletter, and an investment simulation as part of their offerings. They have multiple new web publications every day of the week. The market reports cover regions of Africa, Asia, Arab World, Europe, and Americas.
The website can be found at https://menafn.com/index.aspx
Their news and market data are free to access and are sorted by industries and regions. However, their research is separated by free and premium data. I found a good analysis of the automotive industry on a multi-regional basis following the conflict in Ukraine for my global news post on this platform. This platform offers significant coverage of Russian economic and financial news in the web-based category.
Social Media:
President of Russia Twitter: The President of Russia twitter account is run by Russia Federation government organizations. The account is verified by Twitter. The posts from the account are official Kremlin news. Their bio leaves a link to Kremlin’s official website. The account gives daily updates on Russian political events. The tweets are in English and often give an external link to related content. The tweets themselves are direct and concise, most are factual points and not those of controversy. Recently they have been posting talks from Putin. I picked this social media page because it is free of opinionated statements.
The page can be found at https://twitter.com/kremlinrussia_e
Shaun Walker Twitter: Shaun Walker is a journalist from The Guardian that covers central and eastern Europe. He is also the author of The Long Hangover: Putin’s New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past. He speaks from personal experience in his Twitter comments regarding current events as he spent more than 10 years living in Moscow. He is less critical of Russia than other correspondents which makes him unique. On his account you can find lighthearted content surrounding current events, as well as real time perspectives as news breaks. Also on his account, he links his post in the Guardian and provides a synopsis of the content. The content is a mix of English and Russian.
The page can be found at https://twitter.com/shaunwalker7
Ivan Nechepurenko Twitter: Ivan Nechepurenko is currently a reporter for the New York Times. Earlier in his career he had an apprenticeship at the Moscow Times. Ivan was born in Russia but has made his way into western media. He currently lives in Moscow and provides coverage of current events from multiple perspectives. His ties to Russia and to the West allow him to have even-handed reporting. On his account you can find his personal perspectives as well as perspectives he shares with other reporters regarding global events. Most of his content is in English with the exception of some Russian mixed in.
The page can be found at https://twitter.com/iNechepurenko
Data Sources:
Rosstat: Rosstat is a Federal State Statistic Service. This is a Russian government site that displays news, economic indicators, and data on various aspects of life in Russia. Rosstat is the main authority in creating the national statistical system. There are thousands of indicators and millions of data sets available through the site that are free to access. The information is collected by ministries and government bodies. Further, they strive to have diverse and timely data. The data from this organization is said to have had its reliability confirmed by international sources. The site is offered in English but original set up is in Russian.
The website can be found at https://eng.rosstat.gov.ru/
They have social media sites on VK, Facebook, and Twitter.
I chose this as one of my data sources because the data is reliable and up to date. It is hard to find good data about Russia and what they release to others is limited. This site is very useful to see basic statistics about the country, their people, and their communities. Also, the site is set up in a clear way that makes it easy to navigate and find what you are looking for.
UNData: UNdata is an internet-based collection of UN statistical databases. They have 32 databases and over 60 million records offered at a single-entry point. They break their records down by country and regional profiles. The information is sourced from World Telecommunications, World Development Indicators, ICT Indicators Database, and others in the UN system. They collect data through questionnaires distributed by the United Nations Statistics Division. The data is high quality and trustworthy. Also, access to the data is free. They have a lot of coverage of the Russian Federation in their datasets, making it a good and accurate source.
The website can be found at http://data.un.org/Search.aspx?q=russia
Freedom House: Freedom House is a non-profit that provides research in democracy, political freedom, and human rights. They are headquartered in Washington D.C. and are largely funded by the United States government. Their research and analysis are framed around policy in each of the countries to show the progress and declines in freedom. Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, and Freedom and the Media are some of their annual reports. The assessments for these reports are comparative to create a set standard for evaluating each country in terms of global political and human rights. The content of the reports is in English.
The website can be found at https://freedomhouse.org/
210 countries and territories, including Russia, are included in this analysis. The comparative style of this research helps ensure its accuracy. I used this source for my data visualization assignment to show changes in varies aspects of internet freedom in Russia over time.
Visual/Audio:
BBC World: BBC is a public service broadcaster. Their BCC World Service tv, radio, and streaming is available in over 40 languages. Their executive committee are the ones with control of the day-to-day operations. The platform is based in the UK but provide a wide variety of impartial and independent news. BBC is one of the most used global news platforms that has proven their neutrality over time. BBC World News is commercially funded to provide English broadcasting 24 hours a day. BCC has the most video and audio sources about Russia through Lexus Nexus. With recent events, they created a tab specific to the Russian-Ukraine conflict to ensure updates are easy to find.
The website for BBC World News can be found at https://www.bbc.com/news/world
RIA Novosti: This is a state-owned news agency that originated as part of the Soviet Information Bureau. RIA stands for “Russian Information Agency”. This is one of the main news agencies in Russia. They have correspondents in 40 countries and broadcast in 14 languages. Their content is published online. On their website they currently have 37,467 videos, most of which are short. They cover a wide variety of topics from economics, politics, science, region, to society. Since it is a state-owned mass media platform, they are not a neutral source. Still, they are a source directly from Russia, which can be beneficial and useful.
The website can be found at https://ria.ru/video/
RT: This is an around-the-clock news network with nine TV channels. The organization is an autonomous non-profit that is publicly funded by the Russian government. They have news broadcasting, current affairs, documentaries, and digital platforms. Their channels are offered in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, and Russian. The online platforms offer the same 6 languages. Also, their online content is available in over 100 countries. They broadcast to Russia from Moscow, the U.S. from Washington, the UK from London, and France from Paris. RT aims to cover news that does not get attention from other mainstream media platforms, provide alternative viewpoints to current events, and give a Russian perspective on global topics. Each of these aspects are beneficial in researching Russia.
Their website can be found at https://www.rt.com/
Additional:
New Media
Russia & CIS General Newswire: This is a subscription-based news journalism publication known to be the standard of the Russian reporting. They provide coverage for political, economic, and social events 24/7. Russia & CIS General Newswire is owned by Interfax, a Russian information product company. They offer other newswires for specific fields like oil, military, and finance. There are about 170 stories per day. The posts are available through Lexus Nexus. They have a large staff with over 600 correspondents, editors, and analysts.
Their parent website can be found at https://ifx.ru/pub/Header/Products
Lexus Nexus is where I was able to reach the articles themselves.
Social Media:
Russian Market Twitter: The Russian Market twitter account is a Swiss-based account that is run by an anonymous blogger. The blogger is quick to comment on current global events surrounding Russia. The content is informative, but also provides commentary and a touch of humor. This account had a large following years ago and today is still a platform Russian users interact with. Currently, a lot of the posts on the account are political and economic based. Their posts are almost all in English except for some tweets the account re-posts. Graphics or outside articles are attached to most of the posts. The anonymous and third-party factors of this account make for a unique point of view.
The account can be found at https://twitter.com/russian_market
Visual/Audio:
NTV: NTV, headquartered in Moscow, is the largest private broadcasting company in Russia. They broadcast everywhere in Russia, reaching almost all the population. Typically, they are among the top 3 most viewed channels in the country. They have a large variety of content with news, politics, entertainment, education, social, and documentaries. They air new content at almost every hour through different time zones. Across all their channels, 25 live newscasts are offered in one day. Their content is offered in English as well as Russian with their NTV-World and NTV-America subscription channels. This is a good and popular source that does not have direct ties to the Russian government.
The website can be found at https://sales.ntv.ru/soap/last/