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<\/a><\/p>\nFor those who regularly watch American cable news, it\u2019s not difficult to notice how often stories pertaining to Russian President Vladimir Putin are aired.\u00a0 And why is this?\u00a0 After all, Putin is not an American politician, and other world leaders such as David Cameron and Kim Jung-un seem to receive much less coverage.\u00a0 Some would answer this question by stating that Putin has readily supplied newsworthy stories, including his controversial third-term election, his decision to grant NSA leaker Edward Snowden asylum in Russia, his anti-gay laws, and his use of Russian troops to annex Crimea.\u00a0 While those are important factors, after analyzing Putin-related stories that two major news networks have created, I believe the most significant reason for the frequent coverage of Putin comes from the divided and biased nature of the American cable news networks.<\/p>\n
Today in the U.S., a very common way both media sources and everyday Americans display their political preferences is through their support or criticism of President Obama.\u00a0 In the case of the media, an interesting phenomenon has occurred: in recent years, there have been a plethora of stories comparing and contrasting Putin and Obama.\u00a0 With this strategy, both liberal and conservative news sources have been able to readily promote their own political agendas.<\/p>\n
First of all, the left-leaning network MSNBC has readily made use of this tactic.\u00a0 Right after Putin sent Russian troops to occupy Crimea, MSNBC published an online article entitled \u201cObama: Russia \u2018violating international law\u2019\u201d (http:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/morning-joe\/putin-ups-the-ante-ukraine<\/a>).\u00a0 Upon reading the piece, it is easy to see that Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are portrayed as taking a very strong, controlled, and commanding stance over the situation.\u00a0 At the same time, the article employed diction such as \u201crambling\u201d and \u201cskewered\u201d to describe the way Putin was handling the invasion\u2014having the effect of making the Obama administration appear much stronger and organized than Russia\u2019s government.\u00a0 Obama was again elevated though comparison with Putin on the December 21, 2014, Melissa Harris-Perry <\/em>show (http:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/melissa-harris-perry\/watch\/who-had-the-better-year–obama-or-putin–375669827811<\/a>).\u00a0 Here, the commentator dedicated a segment of the show to presenting on how, by the end of 2014, Obama had a much more successful year than Putin.\u00a0 Throughout the segment, Russia\u2019s failing economy is contrasted to the American economy\u2019s significant job growth in 2014.\u00a0\u00a0 Again, this same narrative was rehashed in the article \u201cAgainst Putin, Obama gets last laugh\u201d (http:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/rachel-maddow-show\/against-putin-obama-gets-the-last-laugh<\/a>) where even something as simple as the article\u2019s title highlights the way MSNBC portrays Putin as compared to Obama, as well as the political undertone it is attempting to promote.<\/p>\n On the other end of the political spectrum is Fox News, a cable network known for its conservative slant.\u00a0 Throughout Fox\u2019s coverage, Putin is usually built up as a strong, masculine leader who is then contrasted with a comparatively \u201cweaker\u201d Obama.\u00a0 A prime example of this can be found in a March 4, 2014, segment of Greta Van Susteren\u2019s show On the Record<\/em> where Van Susteren interviews Rudy Giuliani about Obama\u2019s reaction to Putin\u2019s aggression in Crimea (http:\/\/video.foxnews.com\/v\/3293365041001\/putin-more-of-a-leader-than-obama\/?#sp=show-clips<\/a>).\u00a0 With regards to the crisis, Giuliani begins with the statement that \u201c[Putin] has a predetermined plan, and [Obama] is trying to figure it out as he goes.\u201d \u00a0Giuliani then continues to say the \u201cWhite House should have had a game plan that was thought out a year ago of exactly how they were going to respond to [Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine].\u201d\u00a0 By the end of the segment, it is agreed upon that the Obama administration was \u201cineffective\u201d and \u201cill prepared,\u201d and that his failure to successfully handle the situation consequently weakened the United States.\u00a0 Moreover, Obama is again cast in a negative light in the article \u201c\u2018Unchecked\u2019 Putin puts pressure on Obama to take \u2018decisive action\u2019\u201d (http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2014\/07\/25\/unchecked-putin-puts-pressure-on-obama-to-take-decisive-action\/<\/a>).\u00a0 Throughout the article, Putin is continually portrayed as an independent, unfazed leader who \u201cfeels increasingly comfortable running roughshod over his neighbors in defiance of the U.S. and Europe.\u201d\u00a0 On the other hand, Obama is criticized for \u201cfail[ing] to act\u201d and allowing Putin to \u201ctest his limits.\u201d\u00a0 At the same time, the article allows Republican politicians to take shots at the Obama administration and raise the alarm about Putin\u2019s increasing power and boldness.\u00a0 Fox\u2019s use of Putin to advance its agenda can be further seen through a short \u201centertainment\u201d piece the network chose to create.\u00a0 On August 1, 2014, an article entitled \u201cRussian official burns Obama with Putin-leopard pic\u201d reveals and explains a Twitter post made Dmitry Rogozin, Russia\u2019s deputy prime minister (http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/2014\/08\/01\/russian-official-burns-obama-with-putin-leopard-pic\/<\/a>).\u00a0 The tweet consists of two images set side by side: one of Putin holding a leopard, and one of Obama holding a small, fluffy dog.\u00a0 The tweet also has an accompanying caption reading: \u201cWe have different values and allies.\u201d \u00a0While not especially newsworthy, the article was deemed important by Fox because it would highlight Putin\u2019s strong, masculine, \u201ctough guy\u201d image while displaying a representation of Obama that makes him appear weak. \u00a0In essence, the primary focus of this article is not on Putin himself; rather, it is on degrading Obama and his administration, yet again revealing the political reasoning for extensively covering Putin.<\/p>\n Taken together, it is clear that the U.S. network news has a passion for reporting on Russia\u2019s president in order to further their own views of President Obama.\u00a0 However, despite using the same basic tactic, the liberal and conservative media outlets contrast different aspects of Putin and Obama\u2019s characteristics and policies to come out with different takeaway messages.\u00a0 For instance, MSNBC contrasted Russia\u2019s faltering economy with America\u2019s economic improvement to downgrade Putin\u2019s image while boosting awareness of Obama\u2019s economic successes in 2014.\u00a0 On the other hand, Fox News juxtaposed Putin and Obama\u2019s different versions of foreign policy to paint Putin as a smart leader who commands respect and Obama as a na\u00efve and incompetent president who cannot handle the pressure of leading the Free World.<\/p>\n Back in January, MSNBC revealed that it will continue to contrast Putin with liberal American politicians when the video Hillary Clinton does a mean Putin impression <\/em>was posted on its website (http:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/msnbc\/watch\/hillary-clinton-does-a-mean-putin-impression-387284547680<\/a>).\u00a0 And, as 2016 nears, there\u2019s a good chance Putin will be used by Fox to elevate Republican presidential candidates and to tear down Hillary Clinton.\u00a0 Ultimately, as long as Putin is able to be seen as a foil to American politicians, his name and face will continue to pop up in the network news.<\/p>\n Paul Fredrick is a sophomore at Miami majoring in history and political science. \u00a0This post is a condensed version of his honors assignment for HST\/ATH\/RUS 254.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Paul Fredrick For those who regularly watch American cable news, it\u2019s not difficult to notice how often stories pertaining to Russian President Vladimir Putin are aired.\u00a0 And why is this?\u00a0 After all, Putin is not an American politician, and … Continue reading