The article specifies the foundations necessary for the media criticism to appear and develop. On the material of the national press Zhurnalist (Journalist), Izvestia (News), Pravda (Truth), Pechat i Revolutsiya (Press and Revolution) the formation of the journalist criticism of the 1920s is shown against the background of the Soviet journalism principles being established; its link with the literary criticism, features of a media criticism statement and its functions are indicated.