Mother Jones creates partnership with Russian news outlet banned by Kremlin

Less than 15 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin banned an independent news organization from operating in the country because of its critical coverage of the war in Ukraine, the investigative outlet has launched a partnership with Mother Jones that allows it to receive tax-deductible donations from people living in the United States and continue its crusading journalism. 

Meduza formed in 2014 and is published in Russian and English, but its reporting about government actions put it in the crosshairs of the Kremlin, which labeled it a “foreign agent” in 2021, and blocked its website in the country in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“Both news organizations share a commitment to protecting democracy and holding powerful people accountable, and that kinship is what motivated us to step in and help,” said Mother Jones CEO Monika Bauerlein. “Meduza has persevered in spite of incredible pressure, and their work is needed more than ever in light of the atrocities authorized by President Putin in Russia and Ukraine.”

Once Meduza was banned in Russia, it lost access to millions of readers in the country and the ability to receive support from them. It has put the outlet in a tenuous financial situation, one which prompted Mother Jones to become its fiscal sponsor. Under the formal arrangement, Mother Jones may receive contributions from residents of the United States, on behalf of  Meduza, which has been operating from Latvia since 2015. Tax-deductible donations to Meduza may be made by completing this form.  

The fiscal sponsorship is just the latest example of Mother Jones’ efforts to aid Meduza. Last year, it led the U.S. portion of an international campaign of solidarity in which newsrooms encouraged their readers to support the Russian outlet. 

Mother Jones has a history of helping mission-oriented news outlets and organizations that need administrative support to get off the ground. It currently is a fiscal sponsor for the G.W. Williams Center for Independent Journalism, and We the People; and previously assisted Freedom of the Press Foundation, Climate Access, Pop-Up Magazine (later known as The California Sunday Magazine) and Hyphen Magazine.   

About Mother Jones:

Mother Jones is a nonprofit, reader-supported news organization founded in 1976. It reaches millions of people each month via its website, social media, videos, newsletters and print magazine. Learn more at www.motherjones.com.