Article |
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Article name |
American Media Coverage of the USSR Collapse: Content Analysis of Print Media (1989–1992) |
Authors |
Logunov T.A. candidate of philological sciences, associate professor, tlogunov@mail.ru |
Bibliographic description |
Logunov T. A. American media coverage of the USSR collapse: content analysis of print media (1989- 1992) // Transbaikal State University Journal. 2023. Vol. 29, no. 2. P. 176–183. DOI: 10.21209/2227-9245- 2023-29-2-176-183. 183 Political |
Category |
Politology |
DOI |
327; 930.2 |
DOI |
10.21209/2227-9245-2023-29-2-176-183 |
Article type |
Original article |
Annotation |
The article summarizes the preliminary results of studying contemporary American
print media coverage of the USSR collapse. The purpose of the work is to determine
the relevance of this topic not only for the American political establishment,
but also for the public in general. Moreover, the use of media material is intended to
complement the range of topics covered in official sources in connection with the discussion
of the United States’ role in the development of political processes in the last
years of the USSR’s existence and the consequences of the Soviet Union collapse
for Americans. The study employs quantitative content analysis of the corpus of texts
compiled on the basis of a continuous sampling by given lexical markers from the most
popular US newspapers, as well as from the regional press. As a result, the frequency
of distribution of materials along the time axis was revealed, indicating a relatively
high, but short-term interest in the historical process in question. In addition, the main
macro-topics of these texts were identified indicating the priority issues for the American
reader. The most significant discussion aspects and assessments of the events in the USSR covered in the press included, firstly, the need to support the ongoing
processes in the Soviet Union, which also reflects the role of the United States in the
emerging relations, and secondly, the choice of partners (emerging actors) within the
USSR for the further formation of policies. It is ensuring the national security of the US
that determines the solution of these issues for the American audience. It is assumed
that the study of media coverage can be a valuable addition to the analysis of other
types of sources, both of official and personal origin, since it expands the range of
views and attitudes presented. |
Key words |
collapse of the USSR,
US press, mass media
discourse, source analysis,
quantitative and qualitative
content analysis, evaluation
of historical events, national
security concerns, public
opinion |
Article information |
|
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Full article | American Media Coverage of the USSR Collapse: Content Analysis of Print Media (1989–1992) |