Moskovskiye vedomosti of M.N. Katkov in 1863-1864: a political semi-official organ or a body of independent public opinion?

The article studies the nature of relations of one of the most influential domestic journalists, M.N. Katkov, editor of the Moskovskiye vedomosti newspaper and the Russkiy Vestnik journal, with Minister of National Education A.V. Golovnin and Minister of Internal Affairs P.A. Valuyev in 18631864. Representatives of the highest administrative circles tried to get Katkov and his newspaper's support in exchange for a number of privileges and advantages in hope over time to turn Moskovskiye vedomosti into a government semi-official organ. Competitors and political opponents of Katkov accused him of seeking to achieve special conditions, "exclusive rights" for his editions, of receiving special subsidies from the government, etc. The analysis of the documents and correspondence testifies that these reproaches are not grounded. Katkov considered legality and equality of all editions before the law to be the most important condition of freedom and independence of the press, which he repeatedly declared in his newspaper. Katkov refused from confidential proposals of A.V. Golovnin, without trusting the minister and without wishing to give a reason for reproaching the newspaper as depending on the officials. M.N. Katkov agreed on P.A. Valuyev's proposal to confidentially exchange opinions, being interested in greater access to information and its publication in the newspaper. However, the views of the minister and the editor on the changes in the country were different in many respects, which affected their relations over time. Valuyev sought to show his strict attitude to Moskovskiye vedomosti and, at the same time, to please Katkov: in his letters to Katkov he declared sympathy to the stanpoint of Moskovskiye vedomo-sti, while in letters to the Moscow Censorship Committee he wrote about a need to make an administrative reprimand to the editor of the newspaper. Katkov did not want to accept the ambiguous character of the relations. He was ready to cooperate with Valuyev only on the matters his opinion agreed with the minister's opinion and position. At the same time, Katkov did not intend to follow the tastes of Valuyev either to be guided by his instructions or to put the edition into dependence on the minister's favor. Unlike Valuyev, an astute, prudent and cynical politician, the straightforward and uncompromising Katkov could not and did not want to follow the opinions dictated from above and work in the conditions of "double standards" from the minister. At the end of 1864 Katkov's relations with Valuyev passed into a phase of open opposition.

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