Russian business daily Vedomosti may be following in Rupert Murdoch's footsteps, suggested journalist Sergei Skripnikov via Twitter, WebPlanet.ru reported today. As of November 1, free contents of the title's online edition will include articles from sections like "Career and Management," "Culture" and "Opinions" as well as headlines and announcements. Readers would have to pay a fee to access to archives and full versions of some articles, Media Day wrote.

According to Editor-in-Chief Viktor Saxon's blog, Vedomosti is curretly holding a special promotion package for its Web readers, entailing full access to new issues and archives, a smartphone-friendly version, a mobile edition, widgets and other features. The package costs RUB 450 (US$ 14.38) per year, provided that users register until October 15. Afterwards, the paper goes back to its usual RUB 3398.40 (US$ 108.70) subscription price tag.

Vedomosti was started as a collaboration between newspapers The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times as well Russian publishing giant Independent Media in 1999. The website states that in addition to journalists across Moscow and the rest of Russia, there is occassional input from WSJ and FT. Its mission is to "inform readers on a daily basis about the most important economic, political, financial and corporate events, offering an in-depth analysis and forecasts," says the site's About Us section.