Soviet and Russian Press Coverage of the United States Press, Politics and Identity in Transition

This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the United States from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev through the presidency of Vladimir Putin. A new afterword focuses on recent developments in the Russian media and Russian press coverage of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Becker argues that due to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the United States, as a means of supporting political, social and economic reform. He suggests that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a more self-confident Russia means that the symbolic and discursive significance of the United States for Russia has diminished.

Preface to the 2002 Edition Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: Politics and the Press Press Systems Soviet Communications Policy Glasnost vs Freedom of Information PART II: Soviet and Russian Images of the United States 'Otherness, ' Enmity and Envy in Soviet Images of the United States US/Soviet Relations in the Gorbachev Period Changing Images of American Military and Foreign Policy Images of Domestic America The Russian Press and Images of the United States Conclusion Afterword Notes Index

Jonathan A. Becker is the Dean of Students and Professor of Political Science at Bard College.