Alexander Lebedev and the art of owning newspapers

The UK press is buzzing with the news of Russian Alexander Lebedev’s takeover of London’s Evening Standard.

So what can Standard staff expect? Abramovich-style injections of cash? Possibly not: less than two months ago, Novaya Gazeta, the Russian paper funded in large part by Lebedev, ditched a large number of staff and freelancers. Read Maria Eismont’s report for Index on Censorship here.

Rouble trouble hits Russian media

While the Anna Politkovskaya murder trial descends into farce, her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, is cutting reporting staff. Is there more to the move than the financial crisis, asks Maria Eismont
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