Lack of money: “Vecherni Minsk” didn’t go to press first time since 1967
51- 24.11.2009, 15:07
On November 24, “Vecherni Minsk” newspaper owned by the Minsk city executive committee wasn’t put on sale unexpectedly.
The issue of one of the oldest Minsk newspapers, founded in 1967, was not allowed to go to print at the last moment, though it had been made up. The Belarusian Printing House refused to print “Vecherni Minsk” on November 23 because the newspaper has debts, it says.
The newspaper was founded by the Minsk city executive committee, which also finances the paper and settles problems with debts. As deputy editor of “Vecherni Minsk” Viktar Alyashkevich told in an interview to charter97.org, the newspaper faced financial problems.
“We have faced problems... We do not have money to publish this issue. We were lack of money. Now, the problem is settled, the newspaper will be printed tomorrow. We received a tranche from our advertisers; we transferred a part of it to the printing house. Everyone is in difficult situation; it is not the blame only of the Minsk city executive committee. Financing had been reduced. The government has reduced expenses on us and other enterprises,” Viktar Alyashkevich says.
However rumours circulate among journalists that “Vecherni Minsk” can be closed. The Minsk city executive committee also owns “Minski Kuryer” newspaper, which receives all resources from the Minsk authorities, journalists say. The deputy editor doesn’t know if the authorities are going to close the newspaper.
“We haven’t received any official statements,” Viktar Alyashkevich says. “We need a decision signed similar to that we had when a form of ownership of the newspaper was changed.”
The newspaper’s staff doesn’t know about the further financing of “Vecherni Minsk”. The editor-in-chief is on sick-leave. The deputy editor says, “The mayor left for Moscow two days ago. He will consider this problem when he comes back.”
As the website charter97.org learnt, one of the variants considered by the Minsk city executive committee is giving a loan to the newspaper, which will probably have to pay it on its own.
