Global InformationThe eXile information
 | |
| Type | Alternative weekly |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Independent |
| Publisher | Konstantin Boukarev |
| Editor-in-chief | Mark Ames Yasha Levine |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Moscow, Russia |
| Website | exiledonline.com |
The eXile was a Moscow-based English-language biweekly free tabloid newspaper, aimed at the city's expatriate community, which combined outrageous, sometimes satirical, content with investigative reporting. In October 2006, co-editor Jake Rudnitsky summarized The eXile's editorial policy to The Independent: "We shit on everybody equally."[1] The eXile is now published in an online-only format.[2]
Rolling Stone magazine said in 1998 that then-coeditors "Mark Ames and Matt Taibbi take the raw material of this decadent new Moscow and convert it into 25,000 instantly snapped-up issues of The eXile, consisting of misogynist rants, dumb pranks, insulting club listings and photos of blood-soaked corpses, all redeemed by political reporting that's read seriously not only in Moscow but also in Washington."[3] A CNN documentary in 1999 focusing on The eXile agreed, saying, "Brazen, irreverent, immodest, and rude, the eXile struggles with the harsh truth of the new century in Russia...Since 1997, Ames and Taibbi have lampooned and investigated greed, corruption, cowardice and complacency."[4] The Moscow Times writes that "The eXile, which publishes Gonzo-style journalism on topics such as drugs, prostitution and Moscow nightlife side-by-side with political analysis, has often pushed the limits of decency -- not to mention libel law."[5] Newsweek correspondent Owen Matthews called The eXile "brilliant and outrageous."[6]
The eXile's history saw several practical jokes, including reportedly getting Mikhail Gorbachev to enter negotiations to secure a position as "perestroika coordinator" for the New York Jets.[7] Jonathan Shainin of Salon also wrote in 2005 that The eXile "ran serious press criticism salted with vicious personal attacks on reporters."
On June 10, 2008, columnist Gary Brecher ("The War Nerd") published a letter on the website asking for donations from readers, saying "it takes money and we have none, zero, aren't even getting paid any more".[8] On June 19, 2008, the London Daily Telegraph reported that following a government audit, the paper would cease to be printed and would, from then on, appear only on the Internet.[9] A month after shutting down, the newspaper launched a web site[10] called eXiled Online. According to Mark Ames, the new site is to "focus more on the United States," though the Saint Petersburg Times reported that co-editor Yasha Levine will remain in Russia "as long as [he] can hold out."[10]
- ^ "Moscow newspapers: the story of one title's survival". The Independent. London. 2006-10-10. Archived from the original on 2006-10-25.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bbbwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bright Lights. Red Square, Rolling Stone Magazine, issue 800, November 26th 1998.
- ^ Jack Hamann (1999-09-23). "The Russia Factor". CNN Perspectives. Archived from the original (Reprint) on 2012-02-14. (see also Hamann's site Archived 2016-04-07 at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
MTinvestigationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "End of The eXile Era". The St. Petersburg Times. June 2008.
- ^ McMeekin, Sean (January 2006). "From Russia With Malice". Reason Magazine.
- ^ Brecher, Gary. "Save The eXile: The War Nerd Calls Mayday". The eXile.
- ^ "Moscow forces expat newspaper to close". The Daily Telegraph. June 19, 2008.
- ^ a b "eXile Returns Online After Paper's Closure". The St. Petersburg Times. July 18, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008.