Editing Mass media in Belarus

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Culture of Belarus}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
The '''mass media in Belarus''' consists of [[Television|TV]], [[radio]], [[newspaper]]s, [[magazine]]s, [[Film industry|cinema]], and [[Internet]]-based websites/portals. The media is monopolized by the government, which owns all TV channels, most of the radio and print media. Broadcasting is mostly in [[Russian language|Russian]], and [[Russia]]n media are widely present. After 2020, all independent media were pushed out of the country. The Law on Mass Media has been repeatedly amended and tightened, making it virtually impossible for independent journalists and publications to operate. European, Ukrainian and news websites were blocked in Belarus. The [[Constitution of Belarus]] guarantees freedom of speech, but this is contradicted in practice by repressive and restrictive laws. Arbitrary detention, arrests, and harassment of journalists are frequent in Belarus. Anti-extremism legislation targets independent journalism, including material considered unfavourable to the [[President of Belarus|president]]. As of 2024, Belarus ranks 167th in the [[World Press Freedom Index]]. [[BBC]] describes the Belarusian media environment as one of the most repressive in Europe.

==Legislative framework and regulatory authorities==

Unlike other post-Soviet states after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in the early 1990s, Belarus preserved state control and ownership over most national media. De jure, the [[constitution of Belarus]] guarantees the rights of citizens to freedom of speech, prohibits [[censorship]] and monopolization of mass media.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/be/mediyaprava/svoboda-slova-i-pravo-na-informaciyu-v-staroy-i-novoy-konstituciyah/
| title =Свобода слова и право на информацию в «старой» и «новой» Конституциях
|language=ru
|trans-title=Freedom of speech and right to information in the "old" and "new" Constitutions
| date =2022-03-31
| publisher = Belarusian Association of Journalists
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> De facto, any criticism of president Lukashenko and his government is considered a criminal offense, the country is in a state of ‘legal default’,{{sfn|IREX|2022|p=11}} bureaucracy uses politicized court rulings to oppress independent media and any voices except ones that are completely loyal to the regime.<ref name=fhr2015>{{cite web
| url =https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/FOTP_2015_Full_Report_PDF.pdf
| title =Freedom of the Press 2015 Report
| publisher = Freedom House
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> No special laws require transparency in media ownership,{{sfn|IREX|2022|p=16}} and there are no legal guarantees of public access to government records.<ref name=fhr2015/>

Back in 2008 the government approved a Law on Mass Media that secured state control over media and made the Ministry of Information of Belarus (MIB) its main regulator.<ref name=europarl>{{cite web
| url =https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2022/698922/EPRS_BRI(2022)698922_EN.pdf
| title =Media environment in Belarus
| last =Przetacznik 
| first =Jakub
|last2=Tothova
|first2=Linda 
| date =2022
| publisher =European Parliament
| access-date =2024-03-05}}</ref> 

Since 2009, all media outlets (including websites) must register to avoid being blocked. On 5 January 2015, the Law of the Republic of Belarus made all information published on the Internet be subject to the Criminal Code. Further amendments to the Mass Media Law adopted in June 2018 introduced tighter accreditation rules, allowed an extrajudicial shutting down online and social media, made website owners legally responsible for the content of their comments sections and obliged them to provide the technical possibility to identify the authors of these comments. Though unregistered web media were obliged to fulfill the obligations for the registered media, they were deprived of corresponding rights such as the right to journalist accreditation and a right to keep their sources in secret.<ref name=europarl/><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2018/06/24/belarus-more-media-censorship-and-control-with-new-amendments-of-the-media-law/
| title =Belarus: more media censorship and control with new amendments of the Media Law
| date =2018-06-24
| publisher =European Federation of Journalists
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref> For many years, strict accreditation rules and denials have been one of the authorities' tools to keep independent media out of public and official events, impose fines and ensure that only publications loyal to the government cover events.<ref>{{cite news|last1=SIAKHOVICH|first1=VOLHA|title=Belarus: Government uses accreditation to silence independent press|url=https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2016/08/belarus-government-uses-accreditation-silence-independent-press/|access-date=28 April 2017|work=Index on Censorship|date=10 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/07/belarus-escalates-crackdown-independent-journalism
| title =Belarus Escalates Crackdown on Independent Journalism
| last =Kruope
| first =Anastasiia
| date =2020-12-07
| publisher = Human Rights Watch
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

2021 became the record year regarding law amendments aimed to control and repress the media market and its employees.<ref name=baj>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/smi-ru-ed_2021.pdf
| title =Media in Belarus
| date =2021
| publisher =BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-05}}</ref> Among the rest, MIB was allowed to shut down media outlets without court decision, news media were banned from live reporting on unauthorized mass gatherings, and results of opinion polls that weren't approved by the government were prohibited to publish. Any person or news organization was barred from opening a new media outlet within five years of authorities’ closing any of its other affiliated outlets.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://apnews.com/article/europe-belarus-media-business-government-and-politics-934283a5f4763a421391d8a55a89ad55
| title =Belarus president signs tough new law on media restrictions
| date =2021-05-24
| publisher =AP News
| access-date =2024-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://cpj.org/2021/05/belarusian-parliament-passes-raft-of-restrictive-media-regulations/
| title =Belarusian parliament passes raft of restrictive media regulations
| date =2021-05-04
| publisher =CPJ
| access-date =2024-03-09}}</ref>{{sfn|IREX|2022|p=3}}

A new set of restrictive amendments to the Law on Mass Media was adopted in 2023.<ref name=baj23>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/sites/default/files/analytics/files/2024/mm1752024en.pdf
| title =Mass Media in Belarus in 2023
| date =2024
| publisher =BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-05}}</ref> It allowed authorities to ban foreign media outlets from ''unfriendly'' countries,<ref name=ipi>{{cite web
| url =https://ipi.media/belarus-three-years-on-no-end-in-sight-to-repression-of-independent-media/
| title =Belarus: Three years on, no end in sight to repression of independent media
| last =Łuczka
| first =Karol
| date =2023-08-08
| publisher =Ipi.media
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref> specified the functioning of news aggregators and the legal status of their owners, expanded the list of grounds for cancelling a certificate of State registration of a mass media outlet and restricting access to an Internet resource.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://belsat.eu/ru/news/01-07-2023-lukashenko-podpisal-zakon-ob-izmenenii-zakona-o-sredstvah-massovoj-informatsii
| title =Лукашенко подписал закон «Об изменении Закона о средствах массовой информации» 
|language=ru
|trans-title=Lukashenko signs "On Amending the Law on Mass Media"
| date =2021-05-04
| publisher =Belsat
| access-date =2024-03-09}}</ref>

== Censorship and media freedom ==
{{main|Censorship in Belarus}}

[[Reporters Without Borders]] ranked [[Belarus]] 154th out of 178 countries in its 2010 [[Press Freedom Index]].<ref>[http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html ''Press Freedom Index 2010'']  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124050702/http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html |date=24 November 2010 }}, Reporters Without Borders, 20 October 2010</ref> In 2011, Belarus scored 92 on a scale from 10 (most free) to 99 (least free) in ''Freedom of the Press'' report. The score placed Belarus ninth from the bottom of the 196 countries included in the report.<ref name="fh">[http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=251&year=2010 "Country report: Belarus"], ''Freedom of the Press 2011'', Freedom House, 21 April 2011</ref> The situation continued to deteriorate, in 2022 the country had only 8 points out of 100.<ref name=freedomreports24>{{cite web
| url =https://freedomhouse.org/country/belarus/freedom-world/2022
| title =Freedom in the World: Belarus
| publisher = Freedom House
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> On the scale of Internet freedom, Freedom House's 2022 report described Belarus as ‘not free’ country with only 25 points out of 100.<ref name=freedomreports24/> The authorities dominate the information sphere, the ongoing crackdown on independent media goes on since the [[2020 Belarusian presidential election|2020 presidential election]].<ref name=europarl/><ref name=baj/><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2022)698922
| title =Media environment in Belarus
| date =2022-02-10
| publisher =European Parliament
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref> As of 2023, Belarus ranks 157th in the [[World Press Freedom Index]],<ref name=baj23/> almost no independent media outlets still work inside the country.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-exile-media-struggling-money/32817978.html
| title =Hard Times: Belarusian Media Abroad Say They Lack Money For Their 'Mission'
| last =Vasyukovich
| first =Raman
| date =2024-02-13
| publisher = Radio Liberty
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

In 2021, the [[Belarusian Association of Journalists]] reported more than 60 cases of criminal prosecution of journalists and bloggers.<ref name=baj/> [[BelaPAN#2020s|BelaPAN]], [[Nasha Niva#State pressure|Nasha Niva]] and [[Tut.By#2021 crackdown|TUT.by]],<ref name=baj/><ref name=europarl/>  as well as 410 Telegram and 20 YouTube channels were declared ‘extremist’ in 2021.<ref name=baj/> As of 2023, 33 journalists were in jail, including chief editor of [[Tut.by]] [[Marina Zolotova]], chief editor of [[Nasha Niva]] [[Jahor Marcinovič]], ''Belsat'' reporters [[Katsyaryna Andreeva|Katerina Andreeva]] and [[Darya Chultsova]], Ksenia Lutskina (''Press Club Belarus''), Denis Ivashin (''Novy Chas''), [[Andrzej Poczobut]], Alexander Ivulin (''Tribuna.com''), Valeriya Kostyugova (''Belarusian Yearbook''), Irina Levshina (BelaPAN), [[Gennady Mozheyko]] (''Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi''), Andrei Kuznechik (''Radio Liberty''), Serhiy Satsuk (''Yezhednevnik''), Oleg Gruzdilovich (''Narodnaia Volia''), Ihar Losik (''Radio Free Europe'', ''Belarus Golovnogo Mozga'' Telegram channel), Eduard Palchys (''PALCHYS'' Telegram news channel), and many more.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230317-belarus-jails-top-news-site-managers-for-12-years
| title =Belarus jails top news site managers for 12 years
| date =2023-03-17
| publisher =France 24
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref><ref name=baj/><ref name=ecpmf>{{cite web
| url =https://www.ecpmf.eu/33-journalists-imprisoned-in-belarus/
| title =In Belarus, 33 journalists remain imprisoned. This is who they are and why they were detained
| last =Haluza
| first =Sviatlana
| date =2022-02-07
| publisher =ECPMF
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://rsf.org/en/rsf-unveils-portraits-journalists-detained-belarus
| title =RSF unveils portraits of journalists detained in Belarus
| date =2022-06-09
| publisher = Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref><ref name=rsf/>{{sfn|IREX|2022|p=10}}<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://apnews.com/article/belarus-trial-journalist-lukashenko-crackdown-opposition-7dff981bc424057b9b21e126dd903782
| title =Belarusian journalist accused of being in an extremist group after covering protests gets prison
| date =2024-01-30
| publisher = AP News
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

In 2023, BBC called the Belarusian media environment one of the most repressive in Europe.<ref name=bbc23>{{cite web
| url =https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17941331
| title =Belarus media guide
| date =2023-06-28
| publisher =BBC
| access-date =2024-03-05}}</ref>

==Media landscape==

Belarus hosts state and privately owned media, however, the latter sector keeps decreasing due to the repressive media environment.<ref name=bbc23/> In 2009 there were 1,314 media outlets in the country, 414 of them were state-owned and 900 privately owned.<ref name=EJC>Elena Kononova, [http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/belarus Belarus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405064012/http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/belarus |date=5 April 2016 }}, [[European Journalism Centre|EJC]] Media Landscapes, circa 2010</ref> As of 1 September 2023, there were 921 printed publications including 371 newspapers and 561 magazines (400 state-run), 7 news agencies (2 state-run), 52 online media outlets (45 state-run), 99 radiostations (63 state-run), and 93 TV channels (41 state-run).<ref name=president>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media
| title =Mass Media in Belarus
| publisher =President.gov.by
| access-date =2024-03-06}}</ref>

Most media outlets are Russian-language,<ref name=languages/> since, according to rough estimates, more than 70% of Belarusians use the Russian language. Under Lukashenko, the state policy was to promote the Russian language, gradually the Belarusian language was pushed out of use. Thus it turned into the language of the opposition and independent publications.<ref name=usov/>

The largest national mass media outlets are [[Belteleradio]], the [[All-National TV]], ''STV'' (''Stolichnoye Televideniye''), publishing houses ''Belarus Segodnya'' and ''Zvyazda'', and the [[Belarusian Telegraph Agency|BelTA]] agency.<ref name=president/> State media are mostly commercially unprofitable and survive on subsidies and grants from the government, despite the fact that they operate under a favorable tax regime.<ref name=FHreport22/>

The country has a monopoly of terrestrial broadcasting infrastructure, and does not allow cable companies to carry channels without prior approval. State-owned postal and kiosk distribution systems and state-owned print facilities and advertising contracts are mostly off-limits for independent media. State-run media in Belarus praise President [[Alexander Lukashenko]] and vilify the opposition. Self-censorship is pervasive in private outlets. The Belarusian government maintains a monopoly of domestic broadcast media; in 2014 foreign ownership was restricted to a maximum of 20%.<ref name=fhr2015/><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/en/propaganda-and-desinformation-belarus/
| title =Propaganda and desinformation in Belarus
| date =2023-02-20
| publisher = BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.osce.org/fom/132866
| title =New regulation and recent blockings threaten free speech on Internet in Belarus, says OSCE Representative
| date =2014-12-22
| publisher = OSCE
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> Back in 2010, [[OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media]] [[Dunja Mijatović]] "said [that] pluralism was non-existing in the broadcasting sector, restricted in the print media and vulnerable on the Internet".<ref name=osce>{{cite news|title=OSCE media freedom representative: Belarus needs media pluralism|url=http://www.osce.org/fom/74047|access-date=10 April 2017|publisher=OSCE |location= Minsk|date=2010-10-27}}</ref> Five years later, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus [[Miklós Haraszti]] said: "Media pluralism is absent. Belarus is the only country in Europe with no privately owned nationwide broadcasting outlets".<ref>{{cite news|title=Belarus – Media Landscape |url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16718&LangID=E#sthash.zfBFg9FK.LCIQCDhU.dpuf|access-date=2017-04-10|publisher=OHCHR|location= Geneva|date=2015-11-06}}</ref> 

In October 2020, the accreditations of all foreign journalists in Belarus were canceled by the authorities. Among those who reapplied successfully, the overwhelming majority are Russian journalists employed by state-run media.<ref name=FHreport22/>

== Outlets ==

=== Agencies ===

By 2015, Belarus hosted nine news agencies, two state-owned and seven private. The most important were [[Belarusian Telegraph Agency|BelTA]] (Belarus' largest news agency, and the official state news agency for nearly 90 years), [[BelaPAN]] (a private news agency founded in 1991), and {{Interlanguage link multi|Interfax-West|be|3=Интерфакс-Запад}} (part of [[Interfax]], that operated in Belarus since 1994 and catered primarily to national and local media).<ref name=EJC/><ref name=MassMedia>[http://www.belarus.by/en/about-belarus/mass-media-in-belarus "Mass media in Belarus"], Belarus.by, the Official Website of the Republic of Belarus, January 2015</ref> 

As of 2023, only 7 agencies remained.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media
| title =Mass Media in Belarus
| publisher =President of the Republic of Belarus 
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref> Interfax-West ceased operations in Belarus on 1 January 2022, due to amendments made to the Law on Mass Media of the Republic of Belarus in May 2021{{efn|In particular, the amendments introduced the ban on posting the results of public opinion polls related to the socio-political situation, if conducted without obtaining the necessary accreditation. It was also prohibited to place hyperlinks to messages and materials containing information labeled as prohibited. In addition, the authorities to restrict access to Internet resources or stop the publication of media outlets were defined, and the possibility of withdrawing accreditation of journalists for certain violations was introduced.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/ru/aglyady-manitoringi/smi-v-belarusi-v-2021-godu-0/
| title =СМИ в Беларуси в 2021 году
| language=ru
| trans-title = Media in Belarus 2021
| date =2022-04-04
| publisher =BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://tass.ru/obschestvo/13341939
| title =Агентство Интерфакс-Запад объявило о прекращении работы в качестве СМИ с 1 января
| date =2021-12-31
| publisher =TASS
| access-date =2024-03-04}}</ref>}}.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.interfax.ru/world/813680
| title ="Интерфакс-Запад" прекратил работу в Белоруссии с 1 января
| date =2022-01-01
| publisher =Interfax
| access-date =2024-03-04}}</ref> [[BelaPAN]] was declared extremist by the KGB, its editor-in-chief Irina Levshina and deputy director Andrey Aleksandrov were sentenced to 4 and 14 years in prison, respectively.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/en/support-politically-incarcerated-journalists-irina-levshina-and-andrei-aleksandrov/
| title =Support for Politically Incarcerated Journalists Irina Levshina and Andrei Aleksandrov
| date =2022-10-31
| publisher =BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref><ref name=ecpmf/><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://belsat.eu/en/news/14-11-2021-kgb-declares-belapan-extremist-formation
| title =KGB declares BelaPAN extremist formation
| date =2021-04-09
| publisher =Belsat
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref>

=== Print media ===
{{main|List of newspapers in Belarus}}

As of September 2023, 921 printed publications were registered in Belarus.<ref name=president/> The majority of them are printed entirely in Russian,<ref name=languages>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/en/mediyaprava/top-belarusian-and-ukrainian-media-use-russian-language-lot-can-they-abandon-it/
| title =Top Belarusian and Ukrainian media use the Russian language a lot – can they abandon it?
| date =2022-10-04
| publisher = BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> Russian newspapers [[Komsomolskaya Pravda]] (circulation of 203,000) and [[Argumenty i Fakty]] (120,000) are one of the most popular in Belarus.<ref name=belby>{{cite web
| url =https://www.belarus.by/en/about-belarus/mass-media-in-belarus
| title =Mass media in Belarus
| publisher = Belarus.by
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref><ref name=usov/> In Belarus, the subscription of the nationwide and regional state-run publications is compulsory for employees of any state institutions, such as schools, universities, offices, etc.<ref name=usov/>

The state-run ''Belarus Segodnya Publishing House'' is a media holding that publishes the five largest circulation newspapers: ''[[Belarus Today|Belarus Segodnya]]'' (circulation of 400,000), ''Respublika'' (published since 1991), ''Selskaya Gazeta'' (1921), ''Znamya Yunosti'' (1938), and ''[[Narodnaya Gazeta]]'' (1990).<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media/publishing-house-belarus-segodnya
| title =Belarus Segodnya Publishing House 
| publisher =President of the Republic of Belarus 
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref><ref name=usov>{{cite web
| url =https://journals.umcs.pl/we/article/download/8832/6125
| title =Characteristics of the Belarusian media system
| last =Usov
| first =Pavel
| date =2018
| publisher =East of Europe, vol. 4
| access-date =2024-03-18}}</ref><ref name=presBelarusSegodnya>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/statebodies/belarus-segodnya-publishing-house
| title =Belarus Segodnya Publishing House | publisher = President of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

The state-run ''Zvyazda Publishing House'' was founded in 2012. The list of its publications includes the ''[[Zvyazda]]'' daily (circulation of 20,000), ''LiM'' newspaper, ''Alesya'', ''Polymya'', ''Nyoman'', ''Maladosts'', ''Rodnaya Pryroda'', and ''Vozhyk'' magazines.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media/publishing-house-zvyazda
| title =Zvyazda Publishing House
| publisher =President of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref><ref name=usov/>

Among other state-controlled newspapers there are [[Holas Radzimy]], [[Vo Slavu Rodiny]], [[Zhodzinskiya Naviny]], [[Vecherniy Brest]], BelTA's ''7 dnej'' (circulation of 40,000), etc.<ref name=usov/> 

Many popular independent publications were closed by the authorities, including several that were truly independent: [[Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta]], [[Belorusy i rynok]], [[Hazeta Slonimskaya]], [[Narodnaja Volya (newspaper)|Narodnaja Volya]].<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://humanrightshouse.org/articles/closure-of-independent-daily-narodnaya-volya/
| title =Closure of independent daily Narodnaya Volya
| date =2005-10-18
| publisher =Human Rights Watch
| access-date =2024-03-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://rsf.org/en/supreme-court-ruling-threatens-survival-newspaper
| title =Supreme court ruling threatens survival of newspaper
| date =2004-06-02
| publisher =Reporters Without Borders
| access-date =2024-03-09}}</ref><ref name=usov/> Though even in 2018, before the infamous [[2020 Belarusian presidential election|2020 elections]] and subsequent crackdown of all independent media, the circulation of these newspapers hardly reached 8000.<ref name=usov/> Between 2020 and 2023, numerous newspapers were declared extremist: [[Novy Chas]], Rehianalnaya Gazeta ("Regional Newspaper"), [[Nasha Niva]], Intex-Press.<ref name=ipi/><ref name=osce2023/><ref name=ipimedia/>

=== Publishing houses ===

State-run publishers are: ''Belarus Segodnya Publishing House'' (operates newspapers, Alfa Radio, etc.), [[Vysheysha shkola]] (academic books),<ref name=presBelarusSegodnya/> ''Mastatskaya Litaratura'', ''Narodnaya Asveta'', ''Belkartografia'', ''Aversev'' (academic books), the ''Belsoyuzpechat'' (national distributor),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mfa.gov.by/en/press/news_mfa/a35e35002039ff89.html|title=Belarusian Publishing Houses Participated in the Baltic Book Fair – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus|access-date=2017-02-12}}</ref> ''Four Quarters'' (books on the arts, history and geography), ''Belorusskaya Nauka'' (science), ''Tekhnologiya'', ''Belovagroup'', etc.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.belarus.by/en/press-center/500-years-belarusian-book-printing/belarus-publishers-win-honors-at-cis-art-of-book-contest-in-moscow_i_63897.html
| title =500 Years of Belarusian Book Printing
| date =2017-09-08
| publisher = Belarus.by
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

Independent publishers include ''Janushkevich'', ''Knigazbor'', ''Goliaths'', ''Medisont'',  ''Limarius'', ''Knihauka''. All of them experience pressure from the authorities, obstruction of their activities, employees of some have been arrested.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://penbelarus.org/en/2022/05/30/zayava-z-nagody-represij-supracz-belaruskih-knigarou-i-znishchennya-nezalezhnaj-vydaveczkaj-galiny.html
| title =Statement on the repression of Belarusian book publishers and the destruction of the independent publishing industry
| date =2022-05-30
| publisher = PEN Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://internationalpublishers.org/belarus-reports-of-detention-of-publisher-and-bookseller-raise-concerns/
| title =Belarus – Reports of Detention of Publisher and Bookseller Raise Concerns
| date =2022-05-25
| publisher = International Publishers Association
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://publishingperspectives.com/2022/05/ipa-fep-eibf-flag-reports-of-belarusian-publishers-detentions/
| title =IPA, FEP, EIBF: Reports of Belarusian Publishers’ Detentions
| date =2022-05-24
| publisher = Publishing Perspectives
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

=== Radio ===
{{main|List of radio stations in Belarus}}

In 2009, 158 radio stations were registered in the country, 137 state-owned and 21 private.{{sfn|For Free and Fair Media in Belarus International Support Report|2009}} By 2023, only 99 remained, 63 of them state-run.<ref name=president/> 

[[Belteleradio]], the state TV and radio service, operates five radio stations: ''Radius-FM'', ''First National Channel'', ''Stolitsa'', and ''Radio Belarus'' for foreign audiences.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media/national-state-tv-and-radio-company
| title =Belteleradiocompany
| publisher = President of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> ''Alfa Radio'' is operated by the state ''Belarus Segodnya Publishing House''.<ref name=presBelarusSegodnya/>

[[Radio 101.2 (Belarus)|Radio 101.2]] was a Minsk-based independent station which was closed by the government in 1996 and transferred to the Belarusian Republican Youth Union. The independent [[Autoradio (Belarus)|Autoradio]] was shut down in 2010. Declared extremist in Belarus, [[Euroradio]] and {{ill|Radio Racja|ru|Радио Рация}} work in exile.<ref name=bbc23/><ref name=ipi/> In 2024, the ''RockRadioBY'' was launched in Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/en/rockradioby-launched-ukraine/
| title =RockRadioBY launched in Ukraine
| date =2024-01-15
| publisher =BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref>

=== TV ===
{{main|List of television channels in Belarus}}

TV is the most popular source of information among Belarusian citizens, 92,2% watch it daily. It is monopolized by the government and managed by three biggest operator companies: STV, ONT, and BT-1. In the early 2000s, while the Russian mass media dominated in Belarus, it frequently invited Belarusian oppositioners and allowed criticism of Lukashenko. To avoid its influence, in 2002 a special presidential decree established the Second National Channel (BT-2) intending to replace [[Channel One Russia]] and also the amount of broadcast time allocated for the hugely popular Russian channels.<ref name=usov/><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/cpj/2003/en/55938
| title =Attacks on the Press in 2002 - Belarus
| publisher = Refworld
| access-date =2024-03-18}}</ref> Nowadays, the Media Law establishes a requirement for all editors of TV programs to ensure that the volume of TV programs of Belarusian (national) production is not less than 30%.<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://mininform.gov.by/activities/voprosy-i-otvety-po-zakonu-o-smi/
| title =Вопросы-ответы по проекту Закона Республики Беларусь «О внесении изменений и дополнений в некоторые законы Республики Беларусь»
|language=ru
|trans-title=Questions and Answers on the Draft Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Amending Certain Laws of the Republic of Belarus"
| publisher = Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> Still, according to 2023 BBC analytics, Russian TV channels show higher viewership figures than Belarusian ones.<ref name=bbc23/>

By June 2015, Belarus had completed the switch from analog to digital TV.<ref name=belby/> There is no private or commercial TV in the country.<ref name=usov/>

The [[Belteleradio]] operates channels [[Belarus-1]], {{ill|Belarus 2|be|Беларусь 2}}, {{ill|Belarus 3|be|Беларусь 3}}, {{ill|Belarus 4|be|Беларусь 4}}, {{ill|Belarus 5|be|Беларусь 5}}, [[Belarus 24]], {{ill|NTV Belarus|be|НТБ-Беларусь}} (the national version of [[NTV (Russia)|NTV Russia]] with programmes from NTV Russia and other Russian channels).<ref name=bbc23/>

The second largest state-run TV company is [[All-National TV]], nowadays, it mostly broadcasts content of the [[Channel One Russia]].<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media/second-national-tv-channel
| title =Second National TV Channel (ONT) 
| publisher =President of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref> Third leading channel is ''STV'' (''Stolichnoye Televideniye''), founded in 2000, rebroadcasts Russian [[REN TV]].<ref name=bbc23/><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/society/mass-media/capital-television
| title =Stolichnoye Televideniye (STV) 
| publisher =President of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-08}}</ref>

[[Belsat TV]], the first independent TV channel in Belarus, is in exile and bases in [[Poland]].<ref name=bbc23/> Svetlahorsk private TV and Radio company ''Ranak'' was closed by authorities in 2023 merely for coverage of the accident at the Svetlahorsk pulp and cardboard mill that caused the death of three factory workers.<ref name=baj23/>

=== Internet media ===

In 2009, 31% of the population of Minsk had Internet access; the percentage in other major cities was 12%. One hundred and eighty [[Internet service provider|ISPs]] served 3.1&nbsp;million users (470,000 broadband users).<ref name=EJC/> By different estimates, in 2022, the number of users amounted to 8-9.1 mln.<ref name=bbc23/><ref name=FHreport22/><ref name=usov/> According to the officials, 4G covers more that 76% of the territory and 97% of the population, while fixed broadband penetration rate is around 34%.<ref name=FHreport22/> The Internet in the country is controlled by [[Beltelecom]] and the republican company "National Center for Traffic Exchange", both have the technical means to shut down Internet connections in the country and effectively block media outlets. News sites from Central and Western Europe, Ukraine, and Russia, are not available in Belarus.<ref name=usov/><ref name=FHreport22/> 

The repressive landscape of traditional media and the simultaneous expansion of Internet penetration resulted in an explosive growth of independent media resources on the Internet. All media centres also started to run their activities via the Internet.<ref name=usov/> Although state-owned publications also tried to increase their presence on the Internet, independent publications dominated it and enjoyed incomparably greater trust of the audience.<ref name=FHreport22/><ref name=usov/> Projects, such as [[Charter 97]], [[Naviny.by]], [[Belarusian Partisan]], [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Svaboda]], functioned relatively free up until 2020.<ref name=usov/> [[Sergei Tikhanovsky]], for example, became famous for his [[YouTube]] channel "Country for Life" ({{langx|ru|Страна для жизни|label=none}}).<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://belsat.eu/en/news/detained-belarusian-blogger-set-to-be-lukashenka-s-rival-in-2020-election
| title =Detained Belarusian blogger set to be Lukashenka’s rival in 2020 election
| date =2020-05-07
| publisher = Belsat
| access-date =2024-03-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59650238
| title =Belarus: Opposition leader Tikhanovsky jailed for 18 years over protests
| date =2021-12-12
| publisher = BBC
| access-date =2024-03-18}}</ref> 

In mid-2021, the Belarusian government sharply tightened control over media publications on the Internet and unleashed a repressive campaign against independent publications and bloggers. As of 2024, all major independent news outlets inside Belarus were shut down. Social media and messaging platforms remain available, though individual bans are widely practised.<ref name=FHreport22>{{cite web
| url =https://freedomhouse.org/country/belarus/freedom-net/2022
| title =Freedom of the Net Report 2022
| publisher = Freedom House
| access-date =2024-03-18}}</ref> Such websites as belaruspartisan.by and belsat.eu are available only via VPNs and TOR connections.<ref name=europarl/> popular Telegram channels like ''NEXTA Live'' (see [[Roman Protasevich]]) or ''Belarus Golovnogo Mozga'' were declared extremists.<ref name=rsf>{{cite web
| url =https://rsf.org/en/two-belarusian-bloggers-sentenced-more-10-years-prison
| title =Two Belarusian bloggers sentenced to more than 10 years in prison
| date =2021-12-23
| publisher =Reporters Without Borders
| access-date =2024-03-09}}</ref><ref name=europarl/> According to the current laws in Belarus web users and other media are held legally liable for reposting materials by media that was declared extremist.{{sfn|IREX|2022}}<ref name=osce2023/><ref name=ipimedia/>

=== Cinema ===
{{main|Cinema of Belarus}}

The country's main film studio is [[Belarusfilm]], founded in 1924. Nowadays it has a full production cycle and produces up to 15 feature films yearly, as well as documentaries and animation.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://president.gov.by/en/belarus/social/culture/cinematography
| title =Cinematography
| publisher =President of the Republic of Belarus
| access-date =2024-03-12}}</ref>

During the Soviet era, Belarusfilms was nicknamed "Partizanfilm" due to its large number of films portraying the [[Soviet partisans]]' struggle against [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] occupation. The studio, also noted for its [[children's film]]s, has made over 130 animation films<ref>{{cite web|url=http://animator.ru/db/?ver=eng&p=show_studia&sid=28&sp=2|title=Russian animation in letters and figures – Studies – BYELARUSFILM NATIONAL FILM STUDIO – NATIONAL ENTERPRISE|access-date=12 February 2017}}</ref> (most in Russian). Belarusfilm has produced about 10 feature films and four animated films per year since 1997.<ref name=EJC/> It is a co-organiser of the annual November [[Listapad]] film festival (Minsk International Film Festival) in Minsk.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

==Unions and organizations==

Belarus Union of Journalists was established in 1958 as a professional, independent organization of Belarusian mass-media workers. However, nowadays the Union is pro-governmental, in 2021 it suspended its participation in the International [[Federation of Journalists]] and its cooperation with the executive structures of the IFJ.<ref>{{cite web
| url =https://baj.media/be/pochemu-chleny-bazh-i-bszh-ne-ponimayut-drug-druga/
| title =Почему члены БАЖ и БСЖ не понимают друг друга
| language=ru
| trans-title =Why do BAJ and BUJ disagree 
| date = 2017-07-23
| publisher =BAJ
| access-date =2024-03-12}}</ref> 

Belarusian journalists adopted two ethical codes in 1995: the ''Code of Professional Etiquette of the Journalist of the Belarus Union of Journalists'' and the ''Code of Journalistic Ethics of the Belarus Association of Journalists''.<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://bsj.by/bszh/kodeks/
| title =Code of Professional Etiquette of the Journalist
| publisher = Belarusian Union of Journalists
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url =https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Belarus-Self-regulation-report_Eng.pdf
| title =Addressing ‘hate speech’ through media self-regulation: Belarusian practice in European perspective
| publisher = Article 19
| access-date =2024-03-17}}</ref> 

The [[Belarusian Association of Journalists]], established in 1995, united professionals from independent media and strived to defend [[freedom of speech]], [[freedom of information]], promote the professional standards of [[journalism]], conduct monitoring of Belarusian press, and offer legal support to all media workers. The Association experienced significant pressure from the authorities since the 2000s. It was closed by the officials in 2021. On 28 February 2023, the [[State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus|KGB]] has designated the Association as an 'extremist formation' meaning that a participation in it can be punished with a prison sentence.<ref name=osce2023>{{cite web|url=https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/538593|title=OSCE Media Freedom Representative condemns yet another attack on the Belarusian Association of Journalists|date=2023-03-08|accessdate=10 March 2023|work=[[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]]}}</ref><ref name=ipimedia>{{cite web|url=https://ipi.media/ipi-denounces-designation-of-belarusian-association-of-journalists-as-extremist-group/|title=IPI denounces designation of Belarusian Association of Journalists as ‘extremist group’|date=2023-03-08|accessdate=2023-03-10|publisher=[[International Press Institute]]|archive-date= 2023-03-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309111355/https://ipi.media/ipi-denounces-designation-of-belarusian-association-of-journalists-as-extremist-group/}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite web
| last1  	=
| first1 	=
| last2  	=
| first2 	=
| date   	=2009
| title  	=For Free and Fair Media in Belarus International Support Report
| url    	=https://www.mediasupport.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ims-for-free-media-belarus-2009.pdf
 |ref={{harvid|For Free and Fair Media in Belarus International Support Report|2009}}
}}
*{{cite journal
| last1      = 
| first1     = 
| last2      = 
| first2     = 
| date       = 2022
| title      = Belarus 2022
| url        = https://www.irex.org/VIBE_2022_Belarus
| journal    =IREX Vibrant Information Barometer
 |ref={{harvid|IREX|2022}}
}}


{{Belarus topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Europe topic|Media of}}
[http://mininform.gov.by/ Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus]
[[Category:Mass media in Belarus| ]]
[[Category:Mass media by country|Belarus]]
[[Category:Mass media in Europe by country|Belarus]]