Olga Dovbysh1; Natalia Semenova1; Anna Sibagatulina1; 1 HSE University, Russian Federation
Discussion
Russia was one of the first countries, which started the mass vaccination campaign with own vaccine Sputnik V in December 2020. Despite easier access to vaccine, the campaign went with difficulties and delays. People demonstrated distrust to the vaccination and did not speed up to the vaccination points. Media reported about fake vaccination certificates, poured out vaccines and other subversions, which were happening along with the new waves of pandemic due to spread of mutated types of the virus. In this paper we study the role of local media in dissemination of information on COVID-19 vaccination and pose the following research questions: How was local media reporting on vaccination campaign in 2021? What are the main discourses of local media on the topic and audience’s reaction to them? What are the professional practices regional journalists used in this reporting? We adopt a triangulation approach combining multiple data-gathering and analytical techniques. Data sources include materials in local online media, users’ comments in these materials, and interviews with the media professionals. This research contributes to the scholarly discussion on media framing in the context of unfree media system. We discuss how media reporting affects civic discussion in the situation when media outlets are instrumentalised by the government and when correct and factual information about vaccination is perceived as disinformation and propaganda.
