The Russian Media and Russia's Military Intervention in Georgia in 2008

Abstract

This study examines the role of the Russian media in affecting public opinion in Russia regarding the Russian intervention in 2008. The largest armed conflict in Europe since  Kosovo in 1999, the August 2008 war was fought between Georgia and Russia over the proclaimed independence of the Georgian separate governments of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which were supported by Russia. Russia intervened militarily and recognized the independence of the two separatist regions, supported by an overwhelming majority of the Russian population.  This study analyzes the role of the Russian media in affecting the Russian public opinion regarding its government’s policies in relation to Georgia. The method used for study is discourse analysis, and the theoretical framework underlying the research is Barry Buzan’s (et al., 1998) concept of securitization and Edward Herman’s and Noam Chomsky’s (1988) concept of manufacturing consent which was later elaborated by Anthony DiMaggio (2009).  The trends identified in the mainstream Russian media coverage may at least partly account for the positive opinion of the Russian public towards the intervention.  The study also revealed the contrasting trends characterizing the mainstream and alternative Russian media coverage, thus once again confirming the crucial role of the media in establishing the different opinions among the public, by “building” contrasting images of the world.