BelaPAN

History

Foundation and early years

The agency was founded on November 19, 1991, by journalists Aleś Lipaj and Vital Cyhankoŭ.{{cite web |trans-title=BelaPan Turns 25 |archive-date = 2020-07-27 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200727110049/https://baj.by/be/analytics/kak-lukashenko-ne-puskali-v-belapan-i-drugie-nashi-istorii |url-status = dead

Gradually the company grew and in 1996 it rented the office from BelTA. In the early 2000s, it launched Отдыхай (‘Rest’ in Russian) newspaper, but soon the project had to be shut down due to low profitability. By 2001 six of nine Minsk FM radio stations worked on a news feed, provided by BelaPAN. In 2002 the agency included analytical, advertisement, publishing, social, and web design departments.{{cite web

On the 1st of 2002 BelaPAN launched the web newspaper ‘Belorusskiye novosti’ (Naviny.by). It became the first in ByNet and Belarus. Unlike paper ones, it published the news to the day.

In 2007 the separate editors office for multimedia was launched,{{cite web |trans-title=Multimedia in ByNet

Through the years, BelaPAN’s journalists were numerous times arrested,{{cite web |trans-title=Authorities Suppresses Angry Belarusians March in Minsk |trans-title=Joan Litvina: BelaPAN Journalist Rights Violated

2010s

BelaPAN’s website was hacked on October 24, 2011, the attackers left Lukashenko’s portrait on the main page.{{cite web

BelaPAN and Naviny domains were blocked on December 20, 2014.{{cite web |trans-title=What’s behind ByNet Sites Blockage? |trans-title=DDoS Attack on BelaPAN Is a Severe Pressure on Media |archive-date = 2020-07-27 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200727153412/https://baj.by/sites/default/files/analytics/files/smi_u_belarusi_2016_rus.pdf |url-status = dead

BelTA case

Several journalists and the editor-in-chief of BelaPAN were arrested for alleged stealing of news from a paid subscription of a government-owned BelTA agency.{{cite web |trans-title=The Wrong Goods: Why Stealing of News in Belarus Seems Unlikely

2020s

On January 14, 2021, the office of BelaPAN was searched, office equipment and part of the handwritten and printed documentation were seized, what paralyzed the work of the news agency.

On August 18, 2021, the editorial office and homes of six BelaPAN employees were searched by law enforcement. Five journalists were detained, including director and chief editor Iryna Leushyna, the agency’s former director Dzmitry Navazhilau, accountant Katsyaryna Boeva, correspondents Zakhar Shcharbakov and Iryna Turchyna, deputy chief editor and Naviny.by editor Aliaksandar Zaitsau. They were held at the ill-famed Okrestina Detention Facility. The police also confiscated BelaPAN’s servers and personal laptops, cellphones and flashdrives of the detained journalists. On the same day, the Investigative Committee of Belarus announced that Leushyna, Boeva, and Navazhilau are suspected of organizing or participating in gross violations of public order under Article 342, Part 1, of Belarus criminal code, and evading an unspecified amount in taxes. They could face up to 16 years in prison.{{cite web |trans-title = Law Enforcement Search BelaPAN Office and Employees' Homes |trans-title=Three Belarusian Chief Editors in Jail. Their letters From Prison

In November 2021, the KGB declared BelaPAN an extremist formation. Creation of such a formation or participation in it is a criminal offence in Belarus, and indeed, Leushyna and Navazhilau were charged with creation of an extremist formation. BelaPAN websites, already blocked in Belarus, have stopped updating.

The former team of BelaPAN and Naviny.by created the news agency Pozirk and, in October 2023, announced launching the website Pozirk.online.

Awards

BelaPAN has received numerous awards, including:

• Dźmitry Zavadski Prize "For Courage and Professionalism" (2004);
• the Zeit Foundation's Free Media Awards (2005);
• the Runet Prize as the best online Russian language source of news outside Russia (2006);
• Corporate Social Responsibility Award (2016);{{cite web
• editor-in-chief Iryna Leǔšyna received Journalist of Year award (2018);{{cite web |trans-title=Irina Levshina: My Dream Is to Gain Respect Towards My Homeland’s Authorities
• BelaPAN’s reporter Taciana Karaviankova was awarded Civil Society Champion prize (2018);{{cite web
• Leader of Consumer Market Award (2019).{{cite web

References

Sources

• {{cite web
• {{cite journal |trans-title=Basics of Web Journalism
• {{cite book |trans-title=Contemporary Web Journalism in Belarus
• {{cite report |trans-title=Contemporary Formats of Visualization in Belarusian Web Media
• {{cite journal
• {{cite report

References

1. "Архив избирательных кампаний и референдумов".
2. (2021-01-14). "«Работа парализована». В офисе агентства БелаПАН прошел обыск. Изъята техника и документы". [[TUT.BY]].
3. (14 November 2021). "KGB declares BelaPAN extremist formation".
4. (17 November 2021). "BAJ demands to stop using anti-extremist legislation to restrict freedom of speech".
5. (19 November 2021). "«Попав в историческую мясорубку, мы не стали фаршем». Старейшему независимому агентству новостей «БелаПАН» — 30 лет".
6. (2023-10-16). "«Больше нашего контента о Беларуси будет доступно широкой аудитории». Информационное агентство «Позірк» запустило сайт". Belarusian Association of Journalists.
7. (2023-10-16). "«Позірк» как продолжение традиции БелаПАН". Media IQ.