A post-analogue hybrid media system

The contemporary Russian media is a particular type of a hybrid – statist commercial – media system. Rooted in the Soviet past and driven by social change and the digital revolution, Russian journalism survived the abolition of censorship, media privatization, commercialization, and re-construction of the political system. Still, after the three decades of change the lasting centrifugal role of the state in the media system strongly effects political communication, media regulation and business. In contrast, the rise of the digital media challenged the hierarchical structures and social effects of the traditional media resulting into decentralized modes of public communication, offering additional and alternative news agendas, broadening the diversity of ideological views, as well as contributing to political pluralism. The Russian political journalism is been characterized by a number of controversies rooted in the national historical path and global developments. These are the clashes of Slavophilism and Westernism, of established political parties and non-formalized political ideologies as well as diverse political value settings, of the legacy and social media.

The chapter provides an analysis and characteristics of the Russian media system within the context of social transformation. It puts the Russian media change into a theoretical framework developed recently in media studies. The chapter proves the diverse nature of conceptualisation of Russian media system, considering both the normative model for media change in post-socialism, proposed by the Western, mostly American and Western European, media scholars, and concepts, focused on the interaction of the global and the national in the Russian media system, proposed primarily by Russian scholars. Such important national forces of influence as a huge territory of Russia, a multilanguage and multicultural structure of society and uneven economic development in Russia’s regions determine the key characteristics of present Russian realities that have an impact on the Russian media system. The main features of the system have been identified in the historical context, from 1991 to present time. The two major segments of Russian media system—legacy media and digital media—are analysed through technological, economic, organisational and content aspects. The Internet, and Runet in particular, is considered not only just a new segment of media system but as an integral part of the modern Russian media landscape in the era of digitalisation. Particular attention is paid to the media audience and technology as new drivers of the Russian media system. The chapter contains a large amount of statistical material.

ABSTRACTThis special issue provides a timely reflection on the Russian media system, which is currently at a crossroads. In this introduction, we provide a brief overview of previous theorisations of the post-Soviet Russian media and suggest that they seemingly go in waves. The first wave, to our mind, is linked to the analysis of the perestroika’s ‘Glasnost’ and the dramatic shifts following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This wave is followed by an attempt to reflect on the nationwide processes of media around the mid-2000s. The third wave coincides with the regulatory changes in 2010s and is informed by the pronounced technological changes affecting media industries and growing Internet penetration in the country. This special issue potentially feeds into a new wave of conceptualisation, as it revisits previous assertions of the inherent duality of the Russian media system. The five articles contributing to this special issue in one way or another argue that this dualism constitute the characteristic enduring nature of the Russia media. The authors reflect on the applicability of existing media theories to Russian context as well as offer an up-to-date account of diverse journalist practices, regional differences and converging media sub-systems in Russia.

In less than 20 years, the collapse of the socio-political-economic system compelled rapid change in the media system and policy of Russia. The dichotomization of freedom and no freedom for the former Soviet Union was no longer applicable. In addition, the contemporary media theories could not wholly explain the state of current Russian media system and the characteristics. How to understand the contemporary media system in Russia? What types of changes did such system undergo in the last 2 decades under different socio-politically environment? How to define its current media system? In responding to these questions, this study is an attempt to analyze the different stages of reforms in Russia after democratization and the changes in the media system. One unique feature of the media system in Russia was that the development at various stage corresponded to different models. One stage was the continuation of preceding stage and subsequent stage carried the characteristics of preceding stage in completely or in part. This paper showed how Russian scholars defined the stages of media development in order to analyze the legal rules applicable to each stage of development, and concluded the models relevant with the Russian media system.

When Media Worlds Collide: Using Media Model Theory to Understand How Russia Spreads Disinformation in the United States

Актуальность выбранной темы заключается в безусловной важности роли СМИ в процессе формирования общественного сознания. Более того, интерпретация и целостное восприятие важнейших государственных и мировых событий и явлений осуществляется с непосредственным участием средств массовой информации. Современное мировое сообщество подчиняется жесткому правилу: реальное событие значительно только при условии широкого упоминания в средствах массовой информации. Необходимо подчеркнуть, что в число особенностей СМИ входит и способность формирования образа не только конкретной личности (политика, активиста), но и страны в целом. Ввиду такой степени влияния СМИ на восприятие конкретной страны в целом (ее политика и культура) изучение трансформации медиа-имиджа государства (в нашем случае - Российской Федерации) и его характеристик всегда актуально. В зарубежном медийном пространстве мифы о России и связанных с ней фобиях были сформированы в течение долгих лет холодной войны и последних месяцев специальной военной операции. Важно выяснить, насколько и какизменился подход к освещению современного образа России и российской действительности в европейских СМИ. Новизна данной работы заключается в попытке проследить динамику развития медиаобраза России в западных средствах массовой информации и их связь с событиями, предшествующими и в рамках специальной военной операции на Украине. Также предпринята попытка осуществления подробного анализа основных составляющих образа России в СМИ, а также выявление доминирующих тем, которые характерны для каждой составляющей. Объект исследования: медиаобраз России в европейских средствах массовой информации. Предмет исследования – особенности формирования образа России в европейских СМИ в рамках специальной военной операции на Украине. Цель исследования – проанализировать особенности создания медиа образа России в европейских СМИ в условиях проведения специальной военной операции на Украине. Задачи исследования: 1. изучить научные подходы к понятию «образ», «медиаобраз»; 2. определить исторические особенности создания образа России в европейских СМИ; 3. проанализировать специфику восприятия России в европейских СМИ после начала специальной военной операции на Украине; 4. выявить репрезентацию образа России в европейских СМИ с началом СВО. Основными методами для написания данной работы выступили: анализ научной литературы по теме исследования, историко-аналитический, интерпретация и дискурсивный анализ, контент-анализ, контекстуальный анализ. Практическая значимость данной работ заключается в том, что полученные результаты могут послужить основой для более детального исследования образа России в европейских СМИ. Так же основные выводы могут быть использованы в процессе информационного противостояния и защиты имиджа России за рубежом The relevance of the chosen topic lies in the absolute importance of the role of the media in the process of forming public consciousness. Moreover, the interpretation and holistic perception of the most important state and world events and phenomena is carried out with the direct participation of the media. The modern world community is subject to a strict rule: a real event is significant only if it is widely mentioned in the media. It must be emphasized that the features of the media include the ability to form an image not only of a specific individual (politician, activist), but also of the country as a whole. Due to such a degree of influence of the media on the perception of a particular country as a whole (its politics and culture), the study of the transformation of the media image of the state (in our case, the Russian Federation) and its characteristics is always relevant. In the foreign media space, myths about Russia and related phobias were formed during the long years of the Cold War and the last months of a special military operation. It is important to find out how much and how the approach to covering the modern image of Russia and Russian reality in the European media has changed. The novelty of this work lies in the attempt to trace the dynamics of the development of the media image of Russia in the Western media and their connection with the events preceding and within the framework of the special military operation in Ukraine. An attempt was also made to carry out a detailed analysis of the main components of the image of Russia in the media, as well as to identify the dominant themes that are characteristic of each component. Object of study: the media image of Russia in the European media. The subject of the study is the peculiarities of the formation of the image of Russia in the European media within the framework of a special military operation in Ukraine. The purpose of the study is to analyze the features of creating a media image of Russia in the European media in the context of a special military operation in Ukraine. Research objectives: 1. to study scientific approaches to the concept of “image”, “media image”; 2. determine the historical features of the creation of the image of Russia in the European media; 3. analyze the specifics of the perception of Russia in the European media after the start of a special military operation in Ukraine; 4. identify the representation of the image of Russia in the European media since the beginning of the Northern Military District. The main methods for writing this work were: analysis of scientific literature on the research topic, historical- analytical, interpretation and discourse analysis, content analysis, contextual analysis. The practical significance of this work lies in the fact that the results obtained can serve as the basis for a more detailed study of the image of Russia in the European media. Also, the main conclusions can be used in the process of information confrontation and protecting the image of Russia abroad

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we propose an alternative approach to analysing the current duality of the Russian media system, which for a long time was regarded as transitional. We propose to interpret the current Russian media system in terms of institutional conflict between norms, which were artificially implemented and the grounded informal rules embodied in everyday practices both from market agents and audiences. Mainly implemented after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the norms were based on a neo-liberal representation of the media system, involving financial independence of the media from the state, a ‘news culture’ instead of a ‘propaganda culture’ and so on. At the same time, the informal rules were based on the paternalistic role of the state, the accessibility tradition and the fragmentation of the public sphere. The interaction of such elements forms the dualist or ‘uncertain’ character of the media system.

The Russian media system has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. The changes were already initiated well before the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the course of perestroika and glasnost’, print media outlets in particular achieved a remarkable degree of freedom. Although the state and Communist Party remained largely in control of the media sector, censorship was reduced drastically. Newspapers and magazines, slowly but surely, began to acquire more and more characteristics and functions of what is usually called the ‘fourth estate’.KeywordsMass MediumPresidential ElectionMedia OutletPolitical CapitalismMedia MarketThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

The article examines changes in the Russian media system during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: the dynamics of the coronavirus agenda, traffic, monetization features. The analysis of media content allowed us to determine the leading topics in the disclosure of the coronavirus agenda within three periods corresponding to the key moments in the development of the situation with COVID-19 in the world and in Russia during the first wave of the virus: the first mentions of the new virus, news from China, Italy and other countries where the sick appeared; a sharp increase in the number of news items directly related to coronavirus infection; along with medical topics, the problems of getting out of self-isolation. The article also describes the changes that have occurred in the editorial policy of the media: technologies for preparing journalistic texts, linguistic marketing.

The article presents the results of a functional analysis of Muslim media outlets in terms of the implementation of journalistic functions from the perspective of the Muslim audience’s worldview. The purpose of the study is to identify the specific features of the functioning of Muslim media outlets as a distinct type of media. The author bases their research on a systematic approach. The article provides a typological description of Muslim media outlets that have been operating since 1991. This relatively long period allows for a comprehensive analysis of important processes in the Russian media system, which includes Muslim media outlets. A typology of Muslim media has been developed, which is characterized by its development in terms of audience: there are Muslim media of a scientific type, for families, for religious figures, for children, and newspapers for young people and families. The stages of development of Muslim media are defined. The first preparatory stage for the emergence of Muslim media is the publication of religious literature in Arabic. The second stage of development is the publication of Tatar calendars as the first printed periodicals to replace newspapers that the tsarist government did not allow the Tatars to publish for political reasons. We consider the third stage in the development of Muslim media to be the appearance in 1906 in Kazan of the first Tatar magazine “Din Va-adab” (Religion and Morality), which was published and edited by the famous Galimzhan Barudi. The fourth stage was the period of the revival of religious Muslim media in the 90s of the XX century. The fifth stage can be considered the emergence of electronic Muslim media in the 2000s. The sixth stage is the development of Muslim media in social networks. The relevance of the study is determined by the study of the actively developing element of the Russian media system, the Muslim media. This segment of the media system has its own audience and specific content creation based on the Quran and the Sunnah.

Modern media has transformed into a full-fledged industry, embedded in the national economy and inextricably linked with other industries. The strong dependence between the main economic indicators of the media industry and macroeconomic indicators determines the importance of a long-term media strategy. A successful strategy of media system development may improve the national economy and ensure social prosperity in the sense of Aristotelian eudaimonia. The research objective was to develop a new methodology for media strategizing with its mission, values, objectives, and strategic priorities. The study was based on strategy theory, media theory, mathematical economics, econometric methods of strategic media monitoring, and a new method of game-theoretic models of the three-sided market. The object of strategizing was a complex multi-level environment formed by media institutions in their interaction with each other and society, media market, infrastructure, manufacturers, developers, and distributors. The Russian media system was subjected to a primary OTSW analysis, which revealed five priorities. The author developed a quantitative assessment methodology for each priority. The research is a foundation for a separate interdisciplinary discipline “Theory of Media Strategy”.

ABSTRACTThis article attempts to analyse and discuss the nature of economic change in Russian media. For this purpose, the author uses the influential conceptual approaches to the Russian media industry, elaborated on by the Russian and foreign media scholars, considering both media economic tradition and a transitional media approach, focusing on the classical concept of cultural industries and the latest econometric data analysis as well. Beyond this theoretical overview, the Russian media industry is explored in the last decades, with a view to the major market indicators. The present state of the Russian media industry is discussed by focusing on the current trends and processes, such as commercialisation, digitalisation, and de-regulation, taking into account its national specificities. The author argues that the media’s economic change in post-Soviet Russia produces an interesting research case of the media industry characterised both by universal market-driven and nationally determined features.

Professional journalistic cultures have been an important area in journalism studies, but the major comparative studies of journalistic cultures have focused on the national level of analysis, without addressing the heterogeneity of journalists’ value orientations and treatment of professional standards and risks. Fragmentation of today’s Russian media system and the modern political culture of Russia, as well as previous studies of journalism practices in the country, pose the question whether one can even speak of an overarching Russian journalistic culture in the first place or, rather, whether one needs to outline the gaps between several clusters of professionals bearing divergent value sets and working cultures. To describe the potential cleavages in professional culture of journalists in Russia, we use the survey data of 194 journalists of text (print and online) media in 56 Russian regions, as well as in-depth interviews with senior editorial staff and media managers. We find that the main division is values-based rather than monetarist, regional, online/offline, or purely generational. In terms of value divergence, age, professional experience, and political stance of editorial offices play a crucial role, while journalistic education, the differences between the “capitals” and “regions”, and competition with younger tech-savvies do not. “The post-Soviet” as an interpretative concept gradually loses its direct relevance, but the major gaps in the community still form along the “state-supporting/conservative vs. liberal” orientations. Of all the technological innovations, social media and user-generated content provoke divisive treatment, but where technology forms gaps is between the editors and media managers, the latter being extremely profit-oriented and often neglecting the public roles of media organisations.

This study analyzed newspaper coverage of conflicts in Afghanistan and Chechnya by the New York Times and the Russian newspaper Izvestia to examine the impact of political change on news coverage. The Soviet Union's dissolution included dramatic changes to the Russian media system. In addition, the dissipation of the Cold War changed the foreign policy of the United States. A content analysis revealed that the changes to the media system in Russia had a profound impact on Izvestia's coverage, but political changes had little impact on the New York Times' coverage.

Historical memory and political propaganda in the Russian Federation