Vesti (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
Vesti is an Israel
i Russian-language daily newspaper. Based in Tel Aviv, the paper is Israel's most widely read Russian-language paper and its only remaining daily paper in Russian. The paper was started in 1992 by Yedioth Ahronoth Group, which remains its owner. It was very widely read in the 1990s but its sales have slumped more recently. The paper is politically right-wing and was edited by the refusenik
Eduard Kuznetsov
from 1992 to 1999.
format for a compact
format in 2004. In 2005 its claimed top circulation was 55,000. It employed 50 journalists in 2001.
In 1994 the paper cost 0.60 shekels ($0.20), a third the cost of the Hebrew papers Yediot Ahronoth and Maariv
, reflecting its relatively poor immigrant readership.
on internal issues." It supported Natan Sharansky
in Israel's 1996 elections. The Israeli academic Tamar Horowitz states that the paper, and the Russian press in general, played an important role in those elections: "It was Vesti that defined Netanyahu's success in the 1996 elections. The voice of the Labor Party was absent from the pages of the Russian newspapers. Had there been a Labor equivalent to Vesti, the results would have been very different." In 1997 Vestis readers chose Avigdor Lieberman as "Politician of the Year." The paper strongly opposed disengagement from Gaza
in 2005. Each day the paper includes a supplement on a different topic: health, home life, sports, etc.
Vesti was edited by one of its founders, the right-wing Soviet refusenik
Eduard Kuznetsov
, until he was fired in December 1999. Many people attributed a political motive to Kuznetsov's firing, although Vesti denied this. At the time The Jerusalem Post reported anonymous claims that Kuznetsov had been fired for his criticism of Sharansky's Yisrael BaAliyah party, or even at the party's request, while Religious Zionist news outlet Arutz Sheva
stated that an advisor to Ehud Barak
"was reportedly instrumental in bringing about Kuznetsov's dismisal [sic]." The Zionist Forum and the right-wing group Professors for a Strong Israel
protested the firing. Kuznetsov was succeeded by Vera Yedidia, also the presenter of a program on Israeli public television.
Vesti managing editor Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich
, another of the paper's founders, later became a Kadima
politician, joining the Knesset in 2009.
In 2006 the paper's opinion page editor and one of its writers were taken to court over an allegedly racist poem it had published.
In 2008 the Russian newspaper Kommersant
sued it for republishing their articles without permission or adequate attribution. Reprinting articles published elsewhere is a common practice of the Russian language press in Israel and elsewhere, and Vesti had faced similar complaints in the past.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Russian-language daily newspaper. Based in Tel Aviv, the paper is Israel's most widely read Russian-language paper and its only remaining daily paper in Russian. The paper was started in 1992 by Yedioth Ahronoth Group, which remains its owner. It was very widely read in the 1990s but its sales have slumped more recently. The paper is politically right-wing and was edited by the refusenik
Refusenik
Refusenik originally referred to citizens of the former Soviet Union who were refused permission to emigrate.Refusenik or refusnik may also refer to:*An Israeli conscientious objector, see Refusal to serve in the Israeli military...
Eduard Kuznetsov
Eduard Kuznetsov
Eduard Kuznetsov is a Soviet dissident, human rights activist, and writer.In 1961, Kuznetsov was arrested for the first time and served seven years in Soviet prisons for making overtly political speeches in poetry readings at Mayakovsky Square in the centre of Moscow and for publishing samizdat...
from 1992 to 1999.
Circulation
In 1996 Vesti was read by around 200,000 people. Since the 1990s sales of Russian-language papers in Israel have fallen sharply as emigration from Russian-speaking countries has slowed and immigrants who arrived earlier have switched to Hebrew papers. Israeli newspaper sales have also declined across the board, largely due to the internet. Vestis sales have fallen significantly, forcing it to take cost-cutting measures, including dropping its earlier broadsheetBroadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
format for a compact
Compact (newspaper)
A compact newspaper is a broadsheet-quality newspaper printed in a tabloid format, especially one in the United Kingdom. The term is used also for this size came into use in its current use when The Independent began producing a smaller format edition for London's commuters, designed to be easier...
format in 2004. In 2005 its claimed top circulation was 55,000. It employed 50 journalists in 2001.
In 1994 the paper cost 0.60 shekels ($0.20), a third the cost of the Hebrew papers Yediot Ahronoth and Maariv
Maariv
Maariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
, reflecting its relatively poor immigrant readership.
Content and personnel
Vesti has a right-wing editorial stance, like Israeli Russian-language media in general. in 1999 it was described as "rightist-to-center on the peace process, and close to LikudLikud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
on internal issues." It supported Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky was born in Stalino, Soviet Union on 20 January 1948 to a Jewish family. He graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. As a child, he was a chess prodigy. He performed in simultaneous and blindfold displays, usually against...
in Israel's 1996 elections. The Israeli academic Tamar Horowitz states that the paper, and the Russian press in general, played an important role in those elections: "It was Vesti that defined Netanyahu's success in the 1996 elections. The voice of the Labor Party was absent from the pages of the Russian newspapers. Had there been a Labor equivalent to Vesti, the results would have been very different." In 1997 Vestis readers chose Avigdor Lieberman as "Politician of the Year." The paper strongly opposed disengagement from Gaza
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
in 2005. Each day the paper includes a supplement on a different topic: health, home life, sports, etc.
Vesti was edited by one of its founders, the right-wing Soviet refusenik
Refusenik
Refusenik originally referred to citizens of the former Soviet Union who were refused permission to emigrate.Refusenik or refusnik may also refer to:*An Israeli conscientious objector, see Refusal to serve in the Israeli military...
Eduard Kuznetsov
Eduard Kuznetsov
Eduard Kuznetsov is a Soviet dissident, human rights activist, and writer.In 1961, Kuznetsov was arrested for the first time and served seven years in Soviet prisons for making overtly political speeches in poetry readings at Mayakovsky Square in the centre of Moscow and for publishing samizdat...
, until he was fired in December 1999. Many people attributed a political motive to Kuznetsov's firing, although Vesti denied this. At the time The Jerusalem Post reported anonymous claims that Kuznetsov had been fired for his criticism of Sharansky's Yisrael BaAliyah party, or even at the party's request, while Religious Zionist news outlet Arutz Sheva
Arutz Sheva
Arutz Sheva is an Israeli media network identifying with Religious Zionism. It offers online news in English, Hebrew, French, Spanish and Russian. Arutz Sheva offers free podcasts, live streaming radio, a daily email news update, streaming video and 24 hour updated text news...
stated that an advisor to Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
"was reportedly instrumental in bringing about Kuznetsov's dismisal [sic]." The Zionist Forum and the right-wing group Professors for a Strong Israel
Professors for a Strong Israel
Professors for a Strong Israel is a right-wing group of academics in Israel. They describe themselves as a "non-partisan organization of academics united by a shared concern for the security and the Jewish character of the State of Israel." It was founded in 1988 but stepped up its activities...
protested the firing. Kuznetsov was succeeded by Vera Yedidia, also the presenter of a program on Israeli public television.
Vesti managing editor Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich
Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich
Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima.-Biography:Born in the Soviet Union, Shamalov-Berkovich made aliyah to Israel in 1979. She was amongst the founders of Israel Plus, the country's Russian language television channel, and...
, another of the paper's founders, later became a Kadima
Kadima
Kadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...
politician, joining the Knesset in 2009.
In 2006 the paper's opinion page editor and one of its writers were taken to court over an allegedly racist poem it had published.
In 2008 the Russian newspaper Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
sued it for republishing their articles without permission or adequate attribution. Reprinting articles published elsewhere is a common practice of the Russian language press in Israel and elsewhere, and Vesti had faced similar complaints in the past.