How RT frames conflict: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT

This study sought to determine whether RT employed frames in its reporting on international conflict that would be likely to produce frame effects supportive of Russian foreign policy. Galtung's concept of peace journalism was used as an analytical lens for a frame analysis involving RT and, by way of comparison, Deutsche Welle and Voice of America, during two recent periods of international war. Indicators of possible editorial synchronisation were observed not only between RT and the Russian government, but also between Voice of America and the US government. This potentially indicates a media type phenomenon common to external services generally, rather than an editorial approach peculiar to RT specifically. Alternatively, it might simply be a case of indexing, a phenomenon previously observed in state-independent media. The results aid in a broadened understanding of how external services function and lays the groundwork for further inquiry into this specialised class of news agencies.

KEYWORDS:

• RT
• international broadcasting
• public relations
• peace journalism
• conflict reporting

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge George Diekhoff, who reviewed and checked the statistical calculations.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Toby S. Nelson is a public relations consultant based in the United States.

ORCID

Toby S. Nelson http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6695-1376

Notes

1. The supervisory role of the Broadcasting Board of Governors in the administration of United States external services has, since the completion of this study, been replaced by the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

2. For a fuller description, see Palmer and Morgan (2006).

3. A separate element in the data set was used to produce a related study; see Nelson (2019).