Abstract: The study deals with the analysis of the main factors of formation and development of the mass-media system in the Tatar language, specificity of their functioning in modern social-economic conditions. It has been made a classification of the stages of development of national journalism. In the period of vigorous socio-political perturbations in Russia, namely at the start of XX century, the Tatar Journalism drew attention that everybody could know. In a short span, since 1905 till 1917, in 17 cities of the Russian empire, it had been issued >120 newspapers and journals in the Tatar language. Having different promotions, they reflected the interests of miscellaneous population and occupied a special place in the development of progressive social thought in the years of autocratic reaction. But, all of them became extinct after certain revolutionary events of 1917. They were ousted by the newspapers and journals propagandizing Bolshevist ideology. A rather ramified system of party-and-state press in the Tatar language, published in all big cities of the country and covering all the strata of population, was founded under severe control of the government. And only under influence of democratic reforms at the close of XX century, a great number of newspapers and journals of new type promoting political pluralism in society had appeared. Today, the national media are going through the process of transformation adapting to the conditions of market relationship.