Abstract: Kramatorsk is a city in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine that has a population of approximately 160,000. Founded as a small settlement by a minor railway station in the 1860s, the town gradually grew into a large urban center with heavy industry as its main source of economic activity. Over the years, Kramatorsk became one of the most economically vibrant cities in the Don river basin (Donbas). The Kramatorsk machine building plant (NKMZ) designs and builds equipment for mining, metallurgy, steel rolling, and military-grade heavy weaponry. The city’s metallurgical plant provided employment to thousands of residents until its closure in 2012.Following the Euromaidan revolution1 and the ... Read More PubDate: 2020-08-15T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: This article is devoted to the analysis of propagandist messages in local Russia-backed media outlets that were disguised as Belarusian outlets. In 2017, Russia launched a media network in Belarus. The network publishes seemingly neutral materials intermingled with heavily ideological articles that promote Russia’s agenda. Moreover, although the media outlets are positioned—both in appearance and content—as local news sources, they frequently discuss events of regional and global significance. For instance, the bloggers who generate most of the local media content devoted a great deal of attention to the Russia-Belarus negotiations on the “tax maneuver” and “further integration” that took place between December ... Read More PubDate: 2020-08-15T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Why do local media matter' In light of their role in supporting local communities and holding local authorities to account, such media are extremely important to local political participation and democratic processes.1 Today, in an era of misinformation and media fragmentation, local media are becoming even more important. Local reporters, who know their subjects and communities well, may help people to better understand what is happening in their towns and regions.In a digital age, the concept of “place” as the domain of physical geography is now complicated by the idea of “space,” understood as demarcated geography or an abstract representation in which we view the social world, and which holds some social ... Read More PubDate: 2020-08-15T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: The unique nature of Russian journalism has been shaped by numerous factors, including Russia’s geopolitical position, a turbulent history, and a rich, multiethnic cultural fabric.1 Since the era of Peter the Great, the Russian media system has been characterized by the state’s strong paternal relationship with journalists and media, with news media commonly viewed as an “innocent and obedient child.”2 For centuries, the media have been treated as an extension of the government or as an organ for state propaganda.3The perestroika era (1985–1990) is regarded as a “golden age” of Russian journalism, providing a rare context in which “the child” was allowed to have a voice.4 During perestroika, journalists practiced ... Read More PubDate: 2020-08-15T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: Manipulation,1 instrumentalization,2 influence, fraud, capture,3 pressure, grip,4 discipline5—all of these words are used in the academic and industry discussions of control over mass media. A free and independent media is more of an idealized construct than an existing phenomenon. In no political or social system is the flow of information entirely free. However, the nature of control over the information and ideas shared in mass media is determined by various factors, including a country’s historical and cultural experiences, its type of political leadership, and economic forces.6When it comes to non-democratic or hybrid political regimes, scholarly discussions usually focus on the consequences of media control ... Read More PubDate: 2020-08-15T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: For several decades, the local Russian media landscape was considered a rather predictable subject of analysis. Existing research on the Russian media system has described local media as being mostly controlled by local authorities, with a few independent press outlets in some regions serving as exceptions to the general rule.1 However, digitalization has created new opportunities for local communities to produce and spread alternative news. Has the potential of Internet liberalization2 been fulfilled, even if only partly, in the Russian regions' The map of Internet freedom in Russia3 shows that instances of censorship are spread quite unevenly throughout the regions: in the North Caucasus, the Internet ... Read More PubDate: 2020-08-15T00:00:00-05:00