Abstract
ABSTRACT The putsch of August 19–22, 1991, was the futile last gasp by hardliners to frustrate the liberalization of Soviet society, avoid the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and prevent the disappearance of the Communist Party from its predominant role in national life. It was also a watershed for Russia and for the Russian press. For three days, tanks and troop carriers prowled Moscow streets as Boris Yeltsin was bottled up in the Russian parliament building and Mikhail Gorbachev was detained in the Crimea. Tens of thousands of ordinary Russian citizens, outraged at this assault on the freedoms they began to taste under perestroika, blockaded streets and offered themselves as human shields for Yeltsin until the coup collapsed. This study considers the Moscow News, the first English-language newspaper in Russian history, as synecdoche for the history of the Russian press since 1917 and through 2007, with the August 1991 putsch as pivot. The article discusses the transformation of the Russian press in the wake of the coup and how agenda setting fits into a Russian model.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call