Narva plans to revive municipal newspaper amid criticism from journalists and ex-mayor
The city of Narva in Estonia has decided to revive a municipal newspaper abandoned four years ago, setting aside €30,000 in its budget. A former mayor and a local newspaper editor-in-chief have criticised the plan, while the ruling coalition cites demand for print information.
In Narva, an Estonian city on the border with Russia, officials have decided to bring back a municipal newspaper that was dropped four years ago. The city budget includes €30,000 for the launch. The plan has sparked debate over who will decide the paper's content, whether it will be able to criticise its own founders, and why the city needs its own title when independent media already cover local events.
The new publication is meant to report on city events and decisions by the local authorities. The ruling coalition argues that a print paper is needed above all for residents who are used to getting information from print rather than the internet.
What officials say
Urbo Vaarmann, chairman of the Narva city council, said the paper will be neither an opposition nor a coalition one. It will cover what happens in the council, the city government and similar matters, while scandalous stories can be left to private newspapers. He added that it will not be a publication where anyone can write. According to him, the council has decided the paper is needed and approved the budget, but city departments still have to refine the concept. For now, the print run, the publisher and the date of the first issue are unknown.
Narva previously had its own paper, Narva Linnaleht, whose publisher ceased operations in 2022. Former mayor Katri Raik believes the city should not return to that experience. She recalled that six or seven years ago her side actively opposed it as pure propaganda. In her words, it used to appear twice a month, while the new one is planned monthly. Raik noted that residents already follow ERR, ETV+, Radio 4, Delfi and Postimees, as well as the papers Gorod and Põhjarannik.
Criticism from the media
Erik Gamzeyev, editor-in-chief of Põhjarannik, said such a publication should not be called a newspaper, as that insults journalists, and described it as a propaganda tool of the local authorities. He also warned of a breach of market principles: if a municipal paper sells advertising while most of its costs are covered by the city budget, it could offer only symbolic prices.
Residents' views
Narva residents were divided. Tatyana said she already reads the free paper Gorod and thinks another would not hurt, especially with more classified ads. Svetlana does not read newspapers because she finds news online. Aleksey is not particularly interested in city administration news but would read such a paper from time to time.
