Student’s Blog

I.                   Introduction

a.      The Problem and Significance

Russian Presidential Elections that took place on March 2, 2008 was one of the main international news around the world. There were 4 candidates: Dmitry Medvedev, Gennady Zyuganov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Andrei Bogdanov. According to the results, the third president of Russian Federation became Dmitri Medvedev.

All information published in international news source is very controversial. One news agency argued that elections were fair and without any big violations another wrote about some protest and bribery of voters. As a result, this controversy has induced me to investigate all details and information concerned the Russian Elections.

The main goals of this research are

·        To collect articles of Xinhua news agency, newspaper Washington Post, and international version of BBC World Service.

·        To identify and analyze differences and similarities;

·         To explain the main of causes of mass media reports’ controversies.

This investigation is very important because it helps

·        To draw objective picture of this elections;

·        To identify political attitude news sources and countries to Russia and its policy; and

·        To define impact of mass media on their audience.

This research can be very useful, first of all, for ordinary people who do not know more about news organization, agenda setting, and influence of media reports; and, secondly, for journalism student who want to objectively look at Russian elections.

 

 

 II.                Main Body

a.      Review of the background literature and theoretical knowledge

By this time, it has already been made one research that is published in Internet by Wikipedia Encyclopedia1. It also analyzes Russian Presidential Elections using Russian news sources as well as international.

 This research covers such main points concerned the elections such as election campaign, fairness of elections, and describe registered and dismissed candidates. As a whole, project published by Wikipedia, from my point of view, is very objective because present positions and opinions of different news sources. As a result, it helps an ordinary reader to formulate his/her own point of view.

Nevertheless, published research does not say anything about used mass media, their owners and main audience. Therefore, it is very difficult to understand influence of concrete news source on readers or viewers. Moreover, it is hard to identify presented information objective or biased.

In my investigation, I try to remedy these flaws and say more about owners, audience and position of mass media.

This research based on reports of newspaper, television and news agency. Any of them is very influential because can cover big amount of people during a short period of time.

Furthermore, very often point of view that represented by the mass media of any country is perceived as opinion of the state.

Moreover, media can easy influence mind of people through photos, video and comments. The best examples of such impact are “CNN effect”2 that is used by politics to persuade world community. The main point of “CNN effect” is 24-hour new coverage of any event such as war, disaster, international conflict, etc. using photos and video from the place of incident. It makes pressure on government and compels it to do immediate decision that can be spontaneous and thoughtless. As a result, it can lead to redoubling of conflict because of misunderstanding. If 24 hours a day to say that Iran, for example, has nuclear weapon, anyone unconsciously will believe in it. An intervention to this country will be perceived as a logical decision.

Finally, any person who watches, listens or reads news should be able to used such media literacy skills as thinking critically about media messages despite “how credible their source”, knowleging of the internal language of different media and “distinguishing emotional from reasonable reaction”.

Hypothesis of this research is position represented in the reports of international mass media mostly influenced by international relations of countries.           

b. Subject for Study

The main of objects of data collection are: Xinhua news agencies, BBC World Service, and Washington Post newspaper.

Xinhua is Chinese state biggest news agency that includes 107 international bureaus and 31 – in China. It provides news in 6 languages. Main audience is politicians, diplomats, journalist, etc3.

BBC is the British Broadcasting Corporation that located in the United Kingdom. The budget of BBC World Service based on a grant-in-aid by British government via Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It provides information in 33 languages. Main audience is international community, especially journalist, politicians, and diplomats4.

Washington Post is one of the biggest newspapers of USA.  It mostly concentrated on news that related White House, Congress, and U.S. government. This newspaper belongs to The Washington Post Company. Main audience is readers of the District of Columbia.5

c. Data – Collection Methods

All news reports that analyzed in the research are collected through Internet, especially from online versions of mass media from March 2-3, 2008. The main methods that are used in the investigation are content and comparative analysis of news reports. As a result, it is very easy way to collect information, allows investigating international versions of mass media, easy to identify main differences and similarities of articles.

d. Presentation, analysis and interpretation of data

            This part of project concentrated on comparison of news reports of such mass media as BBC World Service6, Washington Post newspaper7 and Xinhua news agency8.

            First of all, it was compared how different media write about new elected Russian president Dmitri Medvedev.

            Xinhua news agency describes him as a “close ally of Putin”. Nevertheless, Chinese agency pays much attention to the personal characteristics of Mr. Medvedev, and gives such definitions as “loyal, competent and pragmatic”.

            BBC provides mostly very restrained information about new president and writes such words: “a close ally of Mr. Putin… and the candidate of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party”.

            Washington Post in its article describes Mr. Medvedev using such ambiguous phrases as “Putin’s chosen successor”, “Putin’s choice”, and protégé. Moreover, this newspaper does not write anything about Medvedev’s professional and personal characteristics.

            Secondly, it was compared how mass media used in this investigation describes elections and elections campaign.

            Xinhua news agency does not say anything bad or good about conduction of elections and campaign. Furthermore, according to Chinese agency, national projects that D. Medvedev controlled and directed are the main causes why Russian mass media provides so much attention and space to him. Moreover, Xinhua does not give any information about violations and conflicts during the elections.

            Nevertheless, BBC and Washington Post mostly concentrated on this aspect. For example, BBC reports about boycott of election by OSCE because of  “restrictions imposed by Russia”. Furthermore, BBC provides as argument of unfairness of Russian elections words of “opposition” leader Boris Nemtsov who said that result of elections had been defined beforehand.  Moreover, BBC also as a confirmation of unfairness gives opinion of OSCE concerned the parliamentary elections in 2007, which, from OSCE point of view were “neither free nor fair”.

Washington Post describes Russian presidential elections using such phrase as “…a lackluster campaign that was more coronation than contest…”

            Moreover, Washington Post provides words of an “opposition” representative Garry Kasparov who argued that elections were “farce”.

            Furthermore, this newspaper said that ordinary workers voted for Mr. Medvedev under the pressure of their bosses.

            As a result of comparison of reports of different international media, it is very easy to determine difference and similarities and understand advantages and disadvantages of all investigated articles.

            First of all, all media reports Washington Post, BBC World Service as well as Xinhua present only one side.

            Xinhua news agency’s report is mostly positive and does not present opinions of another candidates for the president position.

            In contrast with Xinhua, article published by Washington Post is mostly negative, present only opposition view and does not provide an ordinary reader opinion of wining side. Moreover, newspaper uses controversial phrases.

            Article of BBC can be perceived as objective because it represents political platforms of all candidates. Nevertheless, it has some flaws because does not provide opinion of Mr. Medvedev concerned conduction of election campaign.  As a result, this omission can easy create doubts about fairness of Russian presidential elections.

            Finally, representation in news reports only one side can lead to misunderstanding of the event among ordinary audience that can not know real causes why these mass media represent especially this point of view.

            In conclusion, in order to explain the main cause why mass media represent only one side, it was analyzed international relations of Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.

            Xinhua’s positive article can be explained by such fact that Russia and China has very friendly relations. Moreover, Russia is the main Chinese exporter of weapon. Furthermore, leaders of Russia and China regularly visit each and make joint military exercises. China also support Russian position concerned Iran and did not voted for resolution against it. And China does not interested in spoiling their relations9.

            USA – Russian relations has tensions since the Cold War. But at the present time the main factors that create dispute between them is the widening of NATO, and attempts of Ukraine and Georgia, former Soviet Republics, to join to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. These issues constantly discussed in international mass media at present time. Furthermore, Russia did not support the U.S. war in Iraq in 2003.10

            Tensions between Russia and the Great Britain caused by, first of all, the case of killing of Mr. Litvinenko who suspected by Britain in espionage. Another reason is closing of British council branches in Russian Federation. 11

            Finally, the main factor that influence on the content of article represented in the global press is international relations between states.

III. Conclusion

In conclusion, the main goals of this investigation such as collecting articles, identifying and analyzing differences and similarities between articles of different international media. It was explained the main causes of controversies of information and defined impact of mass media on readers and viewers. Thanks to this investigation, ordinary people can see how content of article can mirror position one country to another. Furthermore, it was found out how media can be used as a tool of country to represent its view or opinion. Moreover, it was defined what media skills should reader or viewer be able to use in order to right understand article and formulate its own point of view.