ABSTRACT
Russians often are not happy with the news provided by television, but it is not the bias and lack of objectivity that makes them particularly concerned. Rather, focus groups in three Russian cities suggest that many are weary of the relentless negativity of the news and often yearn for the measured, optimistic tone of Soviet television. While Western observers perceive a lack of media freedom, Russians often are more troubled by violence and chaos. Rather than increase openness on the news, many Russians would prefer that television fulfill the role of “Big Brother,” with an emphasis on information control rather than freedom of speech. These distinctive findings lend support to the notion that this post-Soviet audience has conceptions, feelings and reactions to the media that are distinct from audiences in other societies. In a series of 24 focus groups held just before and after the March 2000 presidential elections, complaints about the dark tone of the Russian news – which was tending to mirror the dire economic and social conditions in the country – were not the only surprising results from the focus groups. In many of the discussions, the 191 participants showed a curious duality: Although they were aware of bias on state and commercial television, they were not overly concerned about it. Rather, they expected that they would have to use a personal filter for the news, one that they had developed to a highly sophisticated capacity during the Soviet era. While they were often cynical about politicians and their broadcast images, at the same time they admitted that television influenced their ideas about parties and candidates. Overall it became clear that Western ideas about the role of the media in politics, particularly the concepts used to understand campaign effects during elections, need to be viewed through a post-Soviet lens. Conversely, this analysis of the preferences and ideas of a Russian television audience can show just how diverse and complex a variable an audience can be in a dynamic model of the media’s role in society.
