This book introduces readers to the Russian media, its current landscape, and its history by outlining the chief challenges faced by Russian journalists on their quest for media freedom. Focusing on how the Government has traditionally controlled the media through censorship, financial involvement, and relations between media moguls and the State, the book analyses to what extent the Russian media has become 'free' since the fall of Communism. The author questions whether freedom is possible at all in a society where the media has traditionally been so closely linked to the State. There are chapters on different forms of media including print, television, radio and the Internet. Each chapter identifies the main hurdles faced by the particular medium and considers the potential it has for becoming truly independent. Key features include: Vivid examples and case studies of the power play between television and the State during the tumultuous 1990s Clear outline of various different forms of media Comprehensive historical overview supported with examples from relevant publications Drawing on her own experience as a professional journalist, the author, provides a first hand account of what journalists in Russia are encountering today. This position allows the author to frankly discuss the tangible issues that impact those involved in the media and their audiences. By providing both a description of the current situation and an overview of Russian media history, The Media in Russia offers a unique introduction to the field and is key reading for students across various disciplines including Russian studies, media studies and politics.

'The Media in Russia' is an introductive volume for students of various fields, including Russian studies, media studies and political science. It explores the media landscape and sets out to identify the chief challenges that Russian journalists have grappled with throughout the 300-year history of the Russian press.

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.

Are we witnessing the dawn of a new cold war?

This book traces the life of free speech in Russia from the final years of the Soviet Union to the present. It shows how long-cherished hopes for an open society in which people would speak freely and tell truth to power fared under Gorbachev’s glasnost; how free speech was a real, if fractured, achievement of Yeltsin’s years in power; and how easy it was for Putin to reverse these newly won freedoms, imposing a ‘patrimonial’ media that sits comfortably with old autocratic and feudal traditions. The book explores why this turn seemed so inexorable and now seems so entrenched. It examines the historical legacy, and Russia’s culturally ambivalent perception of freedom, which Dostoyevsky called that ‘terrible gift’. It evaluates the allure of western consumerism and Soviet-era illusions that stunted the initial promise of freedom and democracy. The behaviour of journalists and their apparent complicity in the distortion of their profession come under scrutiny. This ambitious study covering more than 30 years of radical change looks at responses ‘from above’ and ‘from below’, and asks whether the players truly understood what was involved in the practice of free speech.

An international collection of papers focused on media, culture and society in postcommunist Russia. Contributors deploy a wealth of primary data in examining the kinds of issues that are central to our understanding of the kind of system that has been established in the world's largest country after a period of far-reaching change.

Presenting original research from a number of well-known international specialists, this book is a detailed investigation of the development of mass media in Russia since the end of Communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union.