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1.98 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
3
Organizations
8
Locations
3
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Report/publication (freedom house)
File Size:
1.98 MB
Summary
This document is page 15 of a Freedom House report (Chapter 2) titled 'Propaganda at Home and Abroad.' It analyzes the shift in the Russian media landscape under Vladimir Putin, detailing specific anti-American propaganda narratives used to explain geopolitical events like the invasion of Ukraine and the downing of airliners. It contrasts modern authoritarian information warfare with Soviet-era censorship, citing quotes from media analysts and strategists.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Putin | President of Russia |
Mentioned regarding the transformation of the Russian media environment into one dominated by propaganda.
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| Mikhail Gorbachev | Former Soviet Leader |
Mentioned for introducing reforms like 'glasnost' (openness) to modernize the Soviet system.
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| Vasily Gatov | Media Analyst |
Quoted discussing the abuse of freedom of information in the 21st century.
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| Dmitry Kiselyov | Chief Russian propaganda strategist |
Quoted regarding information wars becoming standard practice.
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Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom House |
Organization name in header and footer.
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| Islamic State |
Mentioned in a Russian propaganda narrative claiming the US hired them to sabotage an airliner.
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| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'.
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Timeline (3 events)
2014
Alleged crucifixion of a three-year-old boy (Propaganda story).
Slovyansk, Ukraine
Ukrainian army
Russian media
2014
Downing of Malaysian airliner.
Eastern Ukraine
Russian media
United States (alleged plotter)
2015
Destruction of Russian commercial airliner in the Sinai.
Sinai
Russian media
Islamic State (alleged)
United States (alleged)
Locations (8)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
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Subject of the report regarding media and propaganda.
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Target of Russian propaganda narratives.
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Location of destroyed Russian commercial airliner.
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Location in Ukraine where a propaganda story about a crucified boy allegedly occurred.
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Mentioned in propaganda regarding a planned US war.
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Context for Russian invasion and propaganda narratives.
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Mentioned regarding Moscow's occupation.
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Used metonymically for the US government.
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Relationships (1)
Report states media environment transformed under Putin to one dominated by blatant propaganda.
Key Quotes (3)
"If the 20th century was defined by the battle for freedom of information and against censorship, the 21st century will be defined by malevolent actors, states or corporations, abusing the right to freedom of information for quite other ends. —Vasily Gatov"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019249.jpg
Quote #1
"Information wars have already become standard practice and the main type of warfare. The bombers are now sent in after the information campaign. —Dmitry Kiselyov"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019249.jpg
Quote #2
"American policies will lead to a global 'homosexual sodomite tsunami.'"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019249.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (3,696 characters)
Freedom House
Chapter 2
Propaganda at Home and Abroad
The following propositions have all appeared in the Russian media over the past few years:
• The United States hired Islamic State terrorists to sabotage the Russian commercial airliner that was destroyed after takeoff in the Sinai in 2015.
• A three-year-old boy was crucified by the U.S.-backed Ukrainian army in Slovyansk in 2014.
• The United States is planning a major war in Europe to enable Washington to cancel its national debt.
• The downing of the Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine in 2014 was in fact the central ingredient in an elaborate, American-driven plot to place blame on Russia.
• American policies will lead to a global “homosexual sodomite tsunami.”
This is just a small sample of similar claims or conjectures that have made their way into Russian news coverage, especially in the wake of Moscow’s occupation of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine. They stand as a reminder that under Vladimir Putin, the Russian media environment has been transformed from one marked by vibrancy and diverse opinions (if not high professional standards) to one dominated by blatant propaganda on the most sensitive international topics of the day.
The basic regime narrative of U.S.-led conspiracy is applied to a broad set of themes: depression in oil prices, downgrading of Russia’s credit ratings, political change in Ukraine, Russia’s Olympics doping scandal. Every problem, Russians are told, is due to American plots and maneuvers.
Press freedom and democracy
A free press ranks among the most critical institutions of liberal democracy. Among the reforms introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in his campaign to modernize the Soviet system, glasnost, or openness, played the most important role in challenging the decades-old system of Soviet totalitarianism. Something similar can be said of press freedom initiatives in other new democracies during the latter part of the 20th century,
A free press ranks among the most critical institutions of liberal democracy. Among the reforms introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in his campaign to modernize the Soviet system, glasnost, or openness, played the most important role in challenging the decades-old system of Soviet totalitarianism. Something similar can be said of press freedom initiatives in other new democracies during the latter part of the 20th century,
“If the 20th century was defined by the battle for freedom of information and against censorship, the 21st century will be defined by malevolent actors, states or corporations, abusing the right to freedom of information for quite other ends.”
—Vasily Gatov, media analyst
—Vasily Gatov, media analyst
“Information wars have already become standard practice and the main type of warfare. The bombers are now sent in after the information campaign.”
—Dmitry Kiselyov, chief Russian propaganda strategist
—Dmitry Kiselyov, chief Russian propaganda strategist
particularly in postcommunist societies where strict press censorship had prevailed for years. Even if the professionalism and ethical standards of journalism in those countries were not always up to the highest levels, the fact that the press spoke with different voices, different opinions, and even different biases was a huge step toward a world in which democracy was the norm.
Authoritarians push back
It is precisely because of press freedom’s central importance to democracy that the new generation of authoritarian leaders has made its annihilation a top priority. However, modern authoritarians recognize that the methods of the print and analog broadcast era—prepublication censorship and stilted, formulaic propaganda—were no longer viable in the age of digital media and globalization.
It is precisely because of press freedom’s central importance to democracy that the new generation of authoritarian leaders has made its annihilation a top priority. However, modern authoritarians recognize that the methods of the print and analog broadcast era—prepublication censorship and stilted, formulaic propaganda—were no longer viable in the age of digital media and globalization.
At a minimum, governments that sought involvement in the world economy found it advisable to tolerate a measure of openness about budgets, economic data, and those aspects of social life that are critical for international business. Authoritarian leaders thus face the dilemma of retaining domination over the political story while permitting a degree of accurate information about economic affairs.
www.freedomhouse.org
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