News Media and Power in Russia

"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 important - in the formation of the new media climate. News Media and Power in Russia fills this gap, examining the various agents who "make" the news, and discussing the fierce struggle among the various agents of power involved, including news producers themselves.

Drawing on existing theories and scholarship, the book provides a wealth of detail on the actual daily practices of news production in Russia, arguing that power relations in newsmaking are not just external intrusions into the pure process of the reflection of reality, but that the interaction of variously motivated agents is an intrinsic part of the news production process. 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."--Jacket.