From a wall newspaper to a review newspaper: The origin of factory periodicals in the 1920s (on the example of the Altmetallzavod newspaper Na Smotru)

The article investigates the history of the first factory periodicals in the Siberian region. It gives the chronology of wall newspapers of Barnaul institutions and enterprises in the 1920s, describes a special type of factory periodicals of the early 20th century - a review newspaper, which played an important role in the formation of the factory’s large-circulation newspapers. This type of edition is not much studied by researchers, although such newspapers were widely distributed in the late 1920s in the USSR. On the example of the edition Na Smotru [On Review] - the review newspaper of the Altmetallzavod, the definition and distinctive features of such newspapers are given, and their influence is revealed on the formation of factory large-circulation newspapers, which were widespread in the middle of the 20th century. The author suggests using the review edition model as an option for high-quality outsourcing journalism. Based on a systematic methodological approach developed in Russian theory of mass media, the author identifies the structural, functional, and genre features of the review newspaper: printing and circulation, regularity of publication, numbering, indication of authors and editor, narrow subject matter (the review newspaper described one specific enterprise). The main genres of the review newspaper are an editorial, correspondence, a letter to the newspaper, a report. The analysis shows how popular the review newspaper was in the 1920s, the interest in the printed edition was much higher than in its predecessor, the wall newspaper. There was a special response to the critical remarks of the review newspaper, the newspaper was really effective. It was the review newspaper, which was edited not only by the team, but also under the patronage of professional journalists, that was able to consolidate interest in the factory periodicals. Therefore, the review newspaper can be considered the ancestor of the factory large-circulation newspapers. The methods of field work at the enterprise, which journalists used to create a review newspaper 100 years ago, could be relevant today, when, due to import substitution and strengthening of the country’s technological sovereignty, factories are developing again. They, due to the crisis, failed to maintain their large-circulation periodicals in the 1990s and 2000s. Now, such enterprises would like to issue their newspapers again. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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