News Media and Power in Russia [Paperback]

The end of communist rule in the Soviet Union brought with it a brave new world of media and commerce. Formerly state-owned enterprises were transformed, often through private ownership, and new corporations sprung up overnight to take advantage of the new atmosphere of freedom.

Until now, most research on media and news production in Russia has focused on the scope of government control and comparisons with the communist era. However, extra-governmental controls and the challenges of operating in a newly capitalist environment have been just as important  if not more so  in the formation of the new media climate. Filling the gap in the literature, this book examines the various agents who make the news, and discusses the fierce struggle among the various agents of power involved. Drawing on existing theories and scholarship, the book provides a wealth of detail on the actual daily practices of news production in Russia. Original research is combined with compelling first-hand accounts of news production and dissemination to provide an incisive look at the issues and power structures Russian journalists face on a daily basis.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

 

PART I. THEORIES, METHODS, AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

CHAPTER 1. CATCHING THE WIND: THEORETICAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY

 

CHAPTER 2. RUSSIAN MEDIA SYSTEM: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

PART II. AGENTS OF POWER

CHAPTER 3. STATE AGENTS

CHAPTER 4. STATE AND NON-STATE AGENTS OF VIOLENCE

CHAPTER 5. OWNERS

CHAPTER 6. ADVERTISERS

CHAPTER 7. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

CHAPTER 8. RANK-AND-FILE JOURNALISTS

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