The Russian word “Pravda” means “Truth” in English. It became famous as the name of a major Soviet newspaper and one of the most recognizable publications associated with Communist politics and official state messaging.
Pravda was founded in 1912 as a Bolshevik newspaper. After the Russian Revolution, it became the official newspaper of the Communist Party and served as an important channel for explaining government policy, celebrating party achievements, and presenting the party’s interpretation of current events.
Its name is often contrasted with Izvestia, another important Soviet newspaper. “Izvestia” means “news” or “reports,” producing the famous wordplay that there was supposedly “no truth in Pravda” and “no news in Izvestia.” Although Pravda literally means truth, its role as a government mouthpiece led critics to question how objective that truth was.