After 25 years of existence, the landmark Ukrainian media outlet Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (DT), known in English as the Mirror Weekly and in Russian as Zerkalo Nedeli, has turned the page on print.
Starting on Jan. 1, 2020, DT’s readers will now have to go exclusively online for its reporting.
Dzerkalo Tyzhnia’s editor-in-chief, Yulia Mostova, said she would not comment before the next issue is released on Nov. 30, 2019.
Another editor, Yulya Samayeva, framed the move as a positive development. “Giving up print is an opportunity: not to be attached to the date of the issue and to publish texts as soon as possible; to reduce or not to reduce texts independent of the space on the page; not to postpone texts because they simply didn’t fit into print; to optimize processes and costs, etc.,” she wrote on Facebook.
“We can work better and more efficiently,” she added.
Founded in 1994, Kyiv-based DT is one of Ukraine’s most influential socio-political media outlets. Printed on 32 pages, it offers analysis, exclusive interviews and op-eds on a weekly basis.
Partially funded by a Western non-governmental organization, DT is one of the most trusted newspapers in Ukraine. It takes pride in its independence as it is not owned by any oligarchs.
According to Similar Web, DT’s website records 2 million visits per month.
Back in September, another newspaper followed the same path: the leading Ukrainian daily newspaper Segodnya (“Today”) ended its 22-year print run and transitioned to an online-only format.
The decision was driven by rising print costs and poor distribution channels, said Media Group Ukraine, the newspaper’s parent company.
