Применение контент-анализа при изучении освещения процессов распада СССР в американских печатных СМИ (1989–1992 гг.)

Abstract

The article summarizes the preliminary results of studying contemporary American print media coverage of the USSR collapse. The purpose of the work is to determine the relevance of this topic not only for the American political establishment, but also for the public in general. Moreover, the use of media material is intended to complement the range of topics covered in official sources in connection with the discussion of the United States’ role in the development of political processes in the last years of the USSR’s existence and the consequences of the Soviet Union collapse for Americans. The study employs quantitative content analysis of the corpus of texts compiled on the basis of a continuous sampling by given lexical markers from the most popular US newspapers, as well as from the regional press. As a result, the frequency of distribution of materials along the time axis was revealed, indicating a relatively high, but short-term interest in the historical process in question. In addition, the main macro-topics of these texts were identified indicating the priority issues for the American reader. The most significant discussion aspects and assessments of the events in the USSR covered in the press included, firstly, the need to support the ongoing processes in the Soviet Union, which also reflects the role of the United States in the emerging relations, and secondly, the choice of partners (emerging actors) within the USSR for the further formation of policies. It is ensuring the national security of the US that determines the solution of these issues for the American audience. It is assumed that the study of media coverage can be a valuable addition to the analysis of other types of sources, both of official and personal origin, since it expands the range of views and attitudes presented.