Parliamentary Affairs Vol. 57 No. 1, 2004, 169-184
© Hansard Society for Parliamentary Government 2004; all rights reserved
Media, Myth and Reality in Russia's State-Managed Democracy
In the twelve years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the new Russian media have effectively lost their independence. Putin has overseen the closure of a series of television stations and other outlets, as he has striven to centralise the state and reassert its right to determine what information the public should receive. This unhappy outcome, which puts into question Russia's development as a democratic state, is due in part to the fact that the media were owned mainly by the new tycoons: the ‘oligarchs’. While permitting criticism of Yeltsin when pursuing market share, the oligarchs united behind the president against a perceived communist comeback and suppressed their own autonomy. The media have also largely created the image of president Putin, while being prepared to use ‘black PR’ to denigrate opponents. They have thus continued the Soviet traditions of sponsoring a cult of the leader and journalistic self-censorship, while colluding in their own demise by failing to promote a culture of genuinely investigative and critical journalism.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. Rozanova Public Television in the Context of Established and Emerging Democracies: Quo Vadis? International Communication Gazette, April 1, 2007; 69(2): 129 - 147. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|