"The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the role news organizations play in disseminating information and shaping public response to the crisis. This study adopts an ecological approach in examining Russian regional journalists’ adaptations to the pandemic. Based on in-depth interviews, the study f ... ound that a worsened economic situation has increased dependence on state subsidies. Journalists avoided questioning authorities’ response to COVID, with some publishing government information and others focusing on practical tips for readers." (Abstract) more

"The book examines 13 years of journalists' struggles for independence and meaning as they weigh their professional goals and community obligations against their growing dependence on local elite. Russia's sub-national levels - its provinces and communities -- remain understudied but important. Loca ... l newspapers are the only means by which news reaches many rural Russians, and Russia's "heartland" regions are a significant source of support for the current national regime." (Publisher description) more

"This article utilizes new institutional theory and its principle – coercive isomorphism – to examine explicit and implicit pressures exerted on news organizations by a regional government in Russia in 2009 and 2010. The study found that while empowering regional reporters by the myth of helping ... underprivileged citizens, the authorities divert the media from scrutinizing the government. The political officials outsource media relations to media themselves, turning them into public relations agents. This mission seems to homogenize the content of regional newspapers since the government becomes the main source of information." (Abstract) more