Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications (Oct 2023)
How Indian Media Looks Russia and Ukraine War? An Analysis on News Reports of Indian Newspapers
Abstract
The recent Russian-Ukrainian dispute attracted wide international attention. On Feb 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine. USA and NATO are striding up support for Ukraine, fearing Russia’s probable incursion. World media is running continuous news about the Russia-Ukraine war. Each Country, Each Media is giving different kinds of news on this war. It is very important to study the news coverage of this war to know why and how the media is presenting this news. This paper is a detailed study of how Indian newspapers have covered conflict and war. The objectives of this study: To identify the presence of facts during the conflict; to study the content package, style, etc.; to understand the Indian media angle with that of the western media house. These objectives are studied by focusing on various variables like how much news space was given to the conflict, the gatekeeper angle, visuals, style of reporting, and major topics of discussion in the news. These variables are studied through a well-structured count content analysis of the Russia and Ukraine war coverage, thus becoming an occasion for discussions about ethical journalism. One of the most prestigious assignments for journalists is conflict reporting. Rarely do we witness international events get continuous coverage in Indian media. Nevertheless, the current conflict has occupied news space in Indian media for almost more than three months. The study has some interesting findings: Russia-Ukraine conflict reportage mainly concentrated on the military power of Russia, and local reports concentrated on Indian students’ evacuation. The editorial position is one of the most interesting aspects of Indian media’s coverage of the conflict. Indian government’s stand for neutrality is also highlighted. The fact that wiring stories were more than nationally produced stories, thus shows the western influence on Indian media.
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