Email this article 
Representation of Russia and the USA in the global online information space and on Russian and American resources
- Authors: Sharikov A.V.1
-
Affiliations:
- National Research University Higher School of Economics
- Issue: Vol 28, No 1 (2023)
- Pages: 108-121
- Section: JOURNALISM
- URL: https://journals.rudn.ru/literary-criticism/article/view/34360
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.22363/2312-9220-2023-28-1-108-121
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/KEALPU
Cite item
Full Text
Abstract
For the first time the quantitative representation of Russia and the USA in 2021 is considered: in the global online information space on the corpus of texts of the monitoring system Factiva, numbering over 106 million publications, posted on more than 23 thousand online resources in 26 languages; on the sub-corps of Russian media in Russian (over 1,000 online resources); on the sub-corps of American media in English (over 5,000 online resources). It was found that in the texts in 26 languages publications mentioning Russia were the most frequent, publications mentioning the USA came second. In terms of agenda theory (M. McCombs, D. Shaw), this fact is interpreted as a manifestation of a higher importance of Russia for the world press than the USA. In the sub-corpus of Russian Russian-language texts, this trend has been maintained. In a sub-corpus of US English-language texts, the US was on the first place, while Russia was ranked only 13th, which indicates a relatively low importance of Russia for the US press. The thematic areas that were most frequently associated with Russia and the US in 2021 were established. Factiva is strongly oriented towards economic information, and therefore topics such as company profiles, corporate and industry news were the most frequently encountered in a total of 26 languages. Next in line are stories about the domestic politics of countries. Similar trends can be observed in the analysed sub-corps of texts from Russian and US resources. At the same time, there is an asymmetry in the topics of materials mentioning Russia and the United States. Thus, in Russian sources in Russian language Russia is more frequently mentioned in the context of economic content, while the US is more frequently linked to international politics. In the US sources in English the US is more frequently mentioned in the economic context, while Russia is more frequently mentioned in the materials related to scientific and technical developments, as well as domestic and foreign policy.
Full Text
Table 1. Percentage distribution by subject of materials of Russian online resources mentioning Russia and the USA in Russian language in Factiva monitoring system in 2021
Of all materials from Russian online resources mentioning Russia, % | Of all materials from Russian online resources mentioning the USA, % | ||||
1 | Company profiles | 37,6 | 1 | International relations | 23,6 |
2 | Profit | 16,0 | 2 | Derivative securities | 12,5 |
3 | Bankruptcy | 5,8 | 3 | Commodity market news | 9,5 |
4 | Corporate and industry news | 5,1 | 4 | Corporate and industry news | 8,4 |
5 | Political and general news | 4,6 | 5 | Energy markets news | 8,1 |
6 | Financials | 3,9 | 6 | Equity market news | 6,5 |
7 | Disease Outbreaks/Epidemics | 3,0 | 7 | Military action | 5,6 |
8 | New coronaviruses | 2,9 | 8 | Equity markets | 5,5 |
9 | Crime/Justice | 2,5 | 9 | Crime/Justice | 5,3 |
10 | Sales data | 2,3 | 10 | Domestic policy | 5,2 |
Source: performed by the author.
Table 2. Russian online resources available in Factiva monitoring system in 2021, which most often published materials mentioning Russia and the USA in Russian
Of all materials from Russian online resources with mention of Russia, % | Of all materials from Russian online resources with mention of USA, % | ||||
1 | INFO-RL: Profiles of Russian companies | 22,4 | 1 | TASS | 15,4 |
2 | INFO-RL: Russian Companies Brief | 11,4 | 2 | RIA Novosti | 11,2 |
3 | SKRIN | 6,2 | 3 | Sputnik | 8,9 |
4 | TASS | 2,8 | 4 | REGNUM | 6,7 |
5 | PRIME | 2,8 | 5 | PRIME | 4,8 |
6 | RIA Novosti | 1,5 | 6 | Kommersant | 2,7 |
7 | AiF online: Russian Regions | 1,4 | 7 | AiF online | 2,5 |
8 | REGNUM News Agency | 1,2 | 8 | Echo Moskvy | 2,5 |
9 | AK&M | 1,0 | 9 | Rossiyskaya Gazeta | 1,9 |
10 | Rossiyskaya Gazeta | 0,5 | 10 | Interfax | 1,4 |
Source: performed by the author.
Table 3. Percentage distribution by subject of materials of USA online resources mentioning Russia and the USA in English in Factiva monitoring system in 2021
Of all materials from USA online resources with mention of Russia, % | Of all materials from USA online resources with mention of the USA, % | ||||
1 | Natural/Humanities | 21,8 | 1 | Corporate and industry news | 14,6 |
2 | Political and general news | 18,3 | 2 | Political and general news | 9,2 |
3 | Domestic politics | 14,6 | 3 | Securities reporting | 9,1 |
4 | Executive power | 12,1 | 4 | Disease Outbreaks/Epidemics | 8,7 |
5 | Chemistry | 11,5 | 5 | Crime/Justice | 7,9 |
6 | International relationships | 10,7 | 6 | Domestic Politics | 7,7 |
7 | Crime/Justice | 9,7 | 7 | New Coronaviruses | 7,6 |
8 | Physics | 8,5 | 8 | Patents | 7,2 |
9 | Disease outbreaks/Epidemics | 6,7 | 9 | Universities/Colleges | 7,1 |
10 | Corporate and industry news | 6,5 | 10 | Profits | 4,4 |
Source: performed by the author.
Table 4. American online resources available in Factiva monitoring system in 2021, which most often published materials mentioning Russia and the USA in English
Of all materials from USA online resources with mention of Russia, % | Of all materials from USA online resources with mention of the USA, % | ||||
1 | Chemicals & Chemistry | 10,7 | 1 | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | 14,6 |
2 | NewsRx Medical Newsletters | 8,7 | 2 | PR Newswire | 9,2 |
3 | Physics Week | 6,8 | 3 | U-Wire | 9,1 |
4 | CNN | 6,0 | 4 | US Fed News | 8,7 |
5 | Nanotechnology Weekly | 4,5 | 5 | NewsRx Medical Newsletters | 7,9 |
6 | Platts | 4,3 | 6 | Business Wire | 7,7 |
7 | The New York Times | 4,1 | 7 | Congressional Documents and Publications | 7,6 |
8 | Journal of Engineering | 4,1 | 8 | GlobeNewswire | 7,2 |
9 | Washington Post | 3,7 | 9 | Journal of Engineering | 7,1 |
10 | The Wall Street Journal | 3,2 | 10 | The New York Times | 4,4 |
Source: performed by the author.
About the authors
Alexander V. Sharikov
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Author for correspondence.
Email: asharikov@hse.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6035-5960
Candidate of Sciences (PhD) in General Pedagogy, History of Pedagogy and Education, Professor of the Institute of Media, Communications, Media and Design Department, the academic supervisor of the master program “Media Management”
20 Myasnitskaya St, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationReferences
- Arfikyan, O.P., Trifonova, O.O., & Loktionova, S.N. (2021). The formation of an image of a geopolitical rival through the media: On the example of the Russian Federation and the United States. Local Government Day: Scientific Conference: Collection of Articles (pp. 6–15). Moscow: Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Agricultural Academy named after Timiryazev Publ. (In Russ.)
- Borodavkina, E.V., & Pchegatluk, S.K. (2014). Image of Russia and the United States in the media: A comparative analysis. In M.B. Schepakin (Ed.), Collection of Scientific Articles of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Business of Kuban State Technical University (pp. 63–65). Krasnodar: Yug Publ. (In Russ.)
- Bystritsky, A.G., & Sharikov, A.V. (2021). Russia’s representation in the global online information space. International Affairs, (2), 76–93. (In Russ.)
- Dubrovskaya, L.V., Grigoryeva, T.A., & Ovchinnikova, M.S. (2017). Analysis of Russia's image in the U.S. print media from 2012 to 2016 by example of leading American newspapers. The Newman in Foreign Policy, 80(36), 98–102. (In Russ.)
- Guo, L., Hong Tien Vu, & McCombs, M. (2012). An expanded perspective on agenda-setting effects. Exploring the third level of agenda setting. Revista de Comunicación, (11), 51–68.
- Kazun, A.D. (2018). Global news flow (what countries Russian media talk about and why?). Politeia, 91(4), 90–105. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30570/2078-5089-2018-91-4-90-105
- Kazun, A.P., & Kazun, A.D. (2019). News about Russia in the global agenda: A comparative analysis of the G20 press. The Russian Public Opinion Herald. Data. Analysis. Discussions, 128(1–2), 137–146. (In Russ.)
- Kleshchina, N.N. (2017). Metaphoricity of the Russian image in American mass media and the American image in Russian mass media of the past and present. Vlast’, 25(9), 32–36. (In Russ.)
- Kolesnichenko, V.G. (2020). Approaches to representation of foreign countries in the quality press (Russian and USA experience). The MediaAlmanah, 101(6), 32–42. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30547/mediaalmanah.6.2020.3242
- Konev, K.A., & Fedosov, E.A. (2022). Figurative and symbolic specifics of the representation of the entente and the United States in the Soviet printed propaganda of the civil war period (1918–1920). Tomsk State University Journal of History, 77, 20–29. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17223/19988613/77/3
- Kornyukova, V.V. (1991). Evolution of the image of the USSR in the American press (abstract of PhD. Philosoph. Sci. Dis.). Moscow. (In Russ.)
- Kosicki, G.M. (1993). Problems and opportunities in agenda-setting research. Journal of Communication, 43(2), 100–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01265.x
- Maruschak, A.V. (2012). Political and social image of Russia in American media space. Zhurnalistsij Ezhegodnik, (1), 93–96. (In Russ.)
- McCombs, M., & Show, D.L. (1972). Agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187.
- Moiseeva, T.V. (2007). Metaphorical modeling of the image of Russia in American media and the image of the United States in Russian media (abstract of PhD. Philol. Sci. Dis.). Yekaterinburg. (In Russ.)
- Panov, A.S. (2020). Russia and the USA in the last quarter of the 18th – the first third of the 19th centuries: The experience of mutual representations (abstract of PhD. Histor. Sci. Dis.). Moscow. (In Russ.)
- Panova, E.Yu. (2020). Specificity of Russia's media image representation in print media of the United States and Great Britain. Bulletin of Voronezh State University. Series: Philology. Journalism, (4),126–130. (In Russ.)
- Penzina, A.I. (2017). The image of Russia in the world media on the example of the US press. Journalism and Society: Collection of Scientific Works (pp. 176–183). Moscow: RUDN University. (In Russ.)
- Poigina, L.B. (1990). Evolution of the image of the USSR in The New York Times (abstract of PhD. Philol. Sci. Dis.). Moscow. (In Russ.)
- Pshenkin, A.A. (2006). Metaphorical image of the USSR/Russia in American and Russian political discourse. Political Linguistics, 20, 146–161. (In Russ.)
- Shamparova, S.I. (2020). The image of Russia in modern American mass media. Current Problems of Our Time: Science and Society, 26(1), 17–19. (In Russ.)
- Sharikov, A.V. (2021). Global online information space in 2020: Dynamic characteristics. Public Opinion Monitoring: Economic and Social Changes, (2), 445–463. (In Russ.)
- Sharikov, A.V. (2021). The reaction of the global online information space to the military special operation in Ukraine: statistical media dynamics. International Affairs, (4), 54–73. (In Russ.)
- Show, D., & McCombs, M. (2008). Agenda setting in the new media landscape: Two perspectives and approaches to research. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Texas at Austin.
- Titova, A.L. (2003). Role of mass media in forming foreign-political image of the USA. Chelyabinsk: SUSU Publ. (In Russ.)
- Turusova, A.D. (2020). The role of the media in the evolution of the US image in the USSR during the Cold War. Ogarev-Online, (4). Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://journal.mrsu.ru/arts/rol-smi-v-processe-evolyucii-obraza-ssha-v-sssr-v-gody-xolodnoj-vojny
- Vinogradova, N.S. (2010). Political-psychological analysis of the image of Russia in the Anglo-American print media (study 2008–2009) (abstract of PhD. Polit. Sci. Dis.). Moscow. (In Russ.)
- Zhuravlyova, V.I. (2012). Understanding Russia in the United States: Images and myths, 1881–1914. Moscow: RSUH Publ. (In Russ.)
