ABSTRACT
The Russian media provide a conundrum for political communication and democratisation scholars alike. The media sphere in Russia is rich and varied, with a wide range of state-funded and commercial outlets. There has been a steady rise in the use of the internet and Russians have taken to the discursive medium of blogging with great enthusiasm. There have been a number of popular and even provocative television dramas on Russian television. Yet, all this variety and information exist within a political system that has become steadily less democratic since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The case of the Russian media, then, forces us to ask some fundamental questions about the nature of political communication. Why have a relatively broad range of information and media outlets not bred a freer and more open society? Are the Russian media in the grips of a post-Soviet legacy that prevents real engagement between journalist and citizen? Finally, does the Russian case demonstrate that the link between information and democracy is neither as obvious nor as robust as one might assume, particularly given both the Russian’s state control of controversial news as well as the Russian audience’s acceptance of order over the more chaotic attractions of democracy? This chapter will explore these issues by analysing the Russian media landscape via a discussion of the Russian media in relation to global media models, news production, and content analysis, as well as the attitudes of the post-Soviet audience towards their media. The chapter also reflects on recent studies of the Russian internet, which suggests that “Runet”may be more of a reflection of Russian politics as usual rather than a catalyst for political challenge via the online sphere.
