How Russian Media Helped Develop the Authoritarian Tradition: Its Historical Legacy for Today

Abstract

This chapter examines the evolution of the authoritarian political tradition in Russia from its inception to the present, and its influence on the development of Russian mass media. The authoritarian tradition became most pivotal for daily life in Russia, as it ensured that the media fully ascribed to specific political agendas. The cohesion has consistently affected Russian media coverage and continues to shape it today. The authors investigate how precisely this occurs, focusing on several political events, specifically the current situation in Ukraine. Through studying certain empirical materials concerning the political evolution in Russia, the authors answer the question of whether in the future Russian media will be likely to continue serving as an instrument of political propaganda rather than as a source of non-biased information.

Citation

Strovsky, D. and Schleifer, R. (2021), "How Russian Media Helped Develop the Authoritarian Tradition: Its Historical Legacy for Today", Pait, H. and Laet, J. (Ed.) Media, Development and Democracy (Studies in Media and Communications, Vol. 22), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 93-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2050-206020210000022008