Color Revolutions in Colored Lenses: A Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Russian Press Coverage of Political Movements in Ukraine, Belarus and Uzbekistan

Abstract

This study compared The New York Times’ and The Moscow Times’ coverage of the political movements in three former Soviet republics. Data analysis revealed a clear pro-movement pattern in The New York Times’ reporting. The U.S. newspaper used more pro-movement sources than pro-incumbent sources. Overall, The New York Times depicted the protesters favorably and identified with the U.S. foreign policy by using more U.S. government sources. The Moscow Times, on the other hand, treated protesters in an unfavorable manner, and in some cases appeared to identify with the Russian government and the incumbents in these three countries. Finally, the two newspapers stressed more on the internal causes than the external causes of these political movements, but The Moscow Times stressed more on external attributions than The New York Times, an indication of its concern over Russian interests.