It is now the sixth month since Neatkarīgā switched to digital format, and this is the time to start thinking about future developments.
It is no longer indisputable that Neatkarīgā has become one of Latvia's leaders in investigative journalism. Neatkarīgā’s research articles, opinions and interviews are among the most read in the Latvian media space, and international interest in them has significantly increased. Many of the articles, interviews and journalistic research published by Neatkarīgā have been republished and translated into various languages in influential global publications.
The rise in international visibility was the main reason why Neatkarīgā’s editorial urged the publisher to consider creating a parallel English version. The editorial idea was supported by the publisher, and therefore from today Neatkarīgā will be available in English in addition to the Latvian edition.
Nauris Kāpostiņš, Chairman of the Board of Mediju Nams: “One of the development directions is the addition of a second language. Unlike all other Latvian digital media, which, upon becoming a bilingual product, create a second version in Russian, we will create an English version of the newspaper in parallel with Latvian.
This will significantly expand the audience of the newspaper. In Latvia, independent information in English is necessary both for foreign investors and for the tens of thousands of Latvians whose main language of communication is English. A very important target audience of Neatkarīgā’s English version will be the growing number of foreign people working in Latvia, who lack quality media that would provide regular information and involve them in the local discussion, and not just give a general overview of what has happened. We are convinced that the English edition will be important for all employees of other countries' embassies in Latvia, as well as in the EU and international organizations, whose experts have to know and understand what is happening in Latvia. Currently, information on macroeconomic data is widely available to foreign readers in English, while Neatkarīgā will give the English readers abroad the opportunity to understand the current public discussions in Latvia.”