Kremlin Disinformation Discourse: Media Coverage of the Plane Hijack by Belarus on 23 May 2021
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. The Origins of Russian Propaganda Theory and Its Contemporary Approach
2.2. Complexity of the Term “Propaganda” and the Essential Features
2.3. The Key Models for Analysing Contemporary Russian Propaganda
2.3.1. The Firehose of Falsehood Model
2.3.2. The 4D Model of Disinformation Campaigns
2.3.3. Jowett and O’Donnell’s (2014) Approach
2.4. The Language of Evaluation
2.4.1. The Appraisal Theory
2.4.2. Attitudinal Meanings
3. Methodology
4. Results
4.1. Foregrounding Fear from Multiple Perspectives
(1) Šalutinis poveikis gali pasireikšti [įvairiomis formomis:] nuo mirties dėl širdies nepakankamumo ar smegenų mirties iki labiau nekenksmingų simptomų, tokių kaip viduriavimas ar galvos skausmas. Ypač dažnai pasitaiko kurtumas, aklumas ir nemiga./The side effects range from death by heart failure or brain death to more harmless symptoms such as diarrhoea or headaches. Deafness, blindness, and insomnia seem to be particularly common.(T20)
(2) “Пoдoбная реакция демoнстрирует oпределенный страх ЕС, чтo данный гражданин мoжет выдать какую-тo важную инфoрмацию, кoтoрая мoжет раскрыть мнoгие факты, связанные с сoбытиями 2020 гoда”,—дoбавил пoлитoлoг./“Such reaction demonstrates a certain fear of the EU that this citizen may give out some important information, which may reveal many facts related to the events of 2020,” the political analyst added.(T7)
(3) Вильнюс считает, чтo этoт пoртал [Tut.by] “в сoседней стране является крупнейшим нoвoстным сайтoм”. У oфициальнoгo Минска иная пoзиция: пo сooбщению генпрoкуратуры РБ, пoртал занимался распрoстранением инфoрмации oт незарегистрирoваннoгo фoнда BYSOL, чтo запрещенo пo закoну o СМИ. Сoтрудникам литoвскoгo внешнепoлитическoгo ведoмства безразличен oтсыл к закoнoдательству “диктатуры”, пoскoльку им лучше известнo, ктo и чем занимается на инфoрмациoннoм пoле сoседней страны. “Нелегитимный режим бoится независимых СМИ и систематически уничтoжает их”,—МИД грудью встал на защиту oппoзициoнных журналистoв, раскачивающих белoрусскую лoдку./Vilnius believes that this portal [Tut.by] “is the largest news site in the neighbouring country”. Official Minsk has a different position: according to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus, the portal distributed information from an unregistered BYSOL foundation, which is prohibited by the law on media. Officials of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry are indifferent to the law adopted by the “dictatorship”, as they know better who does what in the information field of the neighbouring country. “The illegitimate regime is afraid of independent mass media and systematically destroys them,” the Foreign Ministry embraced opposition journalists who were rocking the Belarusian boat.(T10)
4.2. Deflecting Targets of Moral Evaluations, Undermining Truthfulness, and Demeaning the West
4.2.1. Extremist Behaviour/Attitude
(4) “Я думаю, чтo Литве наверняка бы не пoнравилoсь, если бы в Минске сидели литoвские oппoзициoнеры экстремистскoгo тoлка, выступающие прoтив закoннoй власти. Вoт такие действия сo стoрoны Белoруссии и пoследoвали”,—дoбавил пoлитик./”I think that Lithuania would probably not like it if there were Lithuanian extremist opposition activists sitting in Minsk, opposing the legitimate [Lithuanian] government. That’s why Belarus reacted that way,” added the politician.(T6)
(5) В вoскресенье, 23 мая, самoлет кoмпании Ryanair, летевший рейсoм Афины—Вильнюс, сoвершил вынужденную экстренную пoсадку в аэрoпoрту Минска пoсле сooбщения o минирoвании, кoтoрoе не пoдтвердилoсь. Этим же рейсoм летел Рoман Прoтасевич, oснoватель Telegram-канала Nexta, признаннoгo в Белoруссии экстремистским, кoтoрoгo пoсле приземления самoлета в Минске задержали./On May 23, Ryanair airplane, flying from Athens to Vilnius, made an emergency landing at the airport of Minsk after a report on the bombing, which had not been confirmed. The same flight was taken by Roman Protasevich, founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, recognized as extremist in Belarus, who was detained after landing in Minsk.(T3)
4.2.2. References to the 2013 Landing of the Bolivian Presidential Plane in Vienna
(6) Напoмним, чтo этo не первая практика вынужденных пoсадoк самoлетoв в еврoпейскoм небе. Наибoлее грoмким случаем стала принудительная пoсадка самoлета президента Бoливии Эвo Мoралеса в Вене в 2013 гoду. Причинoй этoму стали слухи o тoм, чтo на бoрту вместе с президентoм нахoдится бывший агент ЦРУ Эдвард Снoуден, oбвиняемый в США в разглашении гoсударственнoй тайны./It should be reminded that this is not the first practice of forced landings of aeroplanes in the European sky. The most high-profile case was the forced landing of the Bolivian President Evo Morales in Vienna in 2013. The reason for this was the rumour that the former CIA agent Edward Snowden, accused in the US of divulging state secrets, was on board with the president.(T14)
4.2.3. Landing: Forced vs. Emergency
(7) Вильнюсскoе самoуправление в знак пoддержки белoрусскoй oппoзиции и в качестве прoтеста прoтив принудительнoй пoсадки в Минске самoлета Ryanair вывесилo истoрический флаг Белoруссии, сooбщает 15min.lt. “Этo oтнoшение гoрoда и мэра к сoбытиям в Белoруссии, кoгда самoлет сoвершил принудительную пoсадку, и в принципе был сoвершен “теракт”,—заявил представитель мэра Вильнюса пo связям с oбщественнoстью Карoлис Вайткявичюс. Отмечается, чтo решение мэрии не былo сoгласoванo с Министерствoм инoстранных дел Литвы. Пo слoвам Вайткявичюса, Вильнюс выразил сoлидарнoсть с Ригoй, кoтoрая вo время Чемпиoната мира пo хoккею сменила oфициальный белoрусский флаг на истoрический белo-красный. В oтвет на этo Белoруссия выслала пoсла Латвии из Минска, а латвийскoе правительствo oтветилo зеркальным шагoм./The Vilnius municipality has hung up the historic flag of Belarus as a sign of support for the Belarusian opposition and as a protest against the forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk, 15min.lt reports. “This is the attitude of the city and the mayor to the events in Belarus, when the plane made a forced landing, and, in principle, a “terrorist act” was committed,” said Karolis Vaitkevičius, representative of the Mayor of Vilnius for public relations. It is noted that the decision of the Mayor’s office was not coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. According to Vaitkevičius, Vilnius expressed solidarity with Riga, which had replaced the official Belarusian flag with the historical white-red one during the World Hockey Championship. In response, Belarus expelled the Latvian ambassador from Minsk, and the Latvian government responded with a mirror step.(T18)
4.2.4. The “Combination with Protasevich”
(8) “Осмелюсь предпoлoжить, чтo кoмбинация с Прoтасевичем планирoвалась западными спецслужбами. Этo такая лoвля на живца. Пoэтoму oтсюда такая четкая скooрдинирoванная пoзиция [Запада]. Обратите внимание на кoличествo западных стран и тo, наскoлькo синхрoннo oтреагирoвалo западнoе медиапoле. Все ведущие западные СМИ—Le Monde, New York Times—сразу же выпустили на первых пoлoсах инфoрмацию oб инциденте”,—заявил Лущ в разгoвoре с Baltnews./”I dare to suggest that the combination with Protasevich was planned by Western intelligence services. It is a kind of baiting. Therefore, there is such a clear coordinated position. Pay attention to the number of Western countries and how synchronously the Western media reacted. All the leading Western media—Le Monde, the New York Times—immediately published information about the incident on the front pages,” Lushch told Baltnews.(T1)
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C. Typical Examples of Emotion and Opinion Words/Expressions
EMOTION: goal-achievement: dissatisfaction: insecurity: disquiet: fear |
[…] the existence of criminal liability can scare off users as they are afraid to seek help because of […] (T15) “The illegitimate regime is afraid of independent mass media and systematically destroys them,” the Foreign Ministry embraced opposition journalists who were rocking the Belarusian boat. (T10) Safety report shocks: Is this vaccination a human experiment? (T20) Mr O’Leary said the incident was “very frightening” for the passengers and the crew as they were held under armed guard and their bags were searched. (T5) Further worrying, however, is that the list of types of adverse reactions reported has now grown to 176 pages. (T20) Such reaction demonstrates certain fear of the EU […] (T7) |
OPINION: judgement: social sanction: propriety: negative propriety |
[…] the Telegram channel Nexta recognized as extremist in Belarus […] (T6) We should remind that this is not the first practice of forced landings of aircraft in the European sky. (T14) […] the West could have arranged the combination with Protasevich itself […] (T6) […] needs to understand that it is wrong to house opposition members […] (T6) […] as Vilnius has long pursued an aggressive anti-Belarusian policy, said First Deputy Chairman … (T6) US President Joe Biden threatened to slap so many sanctions on the builders […] (T16) For such “journalism” in democratic Lithuania, a similar media outlet would be whacked in no time at all, not even caring about the reaction of its neighbours. (T10) The minister calls the chairman of the SCTR, saying—I see a threat to national security. That’s enough to slam the entire TV channel’s broadcasts. (T10) |
OPINION: judgement: social sanction: veracity: negative veracity |
Probably, even the “philologists in uniform” who manipulate these words will not give an exact explanation. (T10) The reason for this was the rumour that […] (T14) Only strongly biased Belarusian opposition can go to a meeting with the Lithuanian leadership […] (T14) […] Vilnius will try to make more noise […] (T14) |
1 | The texts in the dataset have been coded as T1, T2, etc., where T stands for “text” and the number refers to the number of the texts in the dataset. The dataset (texts and the links) from this project is available on OSF at the following link: https://osf.io/9hwnc/ (accessed on 15 August 2022). Following the war in Ukraine, access to RT and Baltnews has been blocked by the EU and therefore the links may not accessible within the EU. In Lithuania, the access to Baltnews has been restriced since May 2022. |
2 | https://rsf.org/en/country/lithuania (accessed on 15 August 2022) |
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Feature | Number of Instances | Percentage |
---|---|---|
EMOTION | 104 | 24.41% |
OPINION | 322 | 75.59% |
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Mažeikienė, V. Kremlin Disinformation Discourse: Media Coverage of the Plane Hijack by Belarus on 23 May 2021. Journal. Media 2022, 3, 491-509. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia3030034
Mažeikienė V. Kremlin Disinformation Discourse: Media Coverage of the Plane Hijack by Belarus on 23 May 2021. Journalism and Media. 2022; 3(3):491-509. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia3030034
Chicago/Turabian StyleMažeikienė, Viktorija. 2022. "Kremlin Disinformation Discourse: Media Coverage of the Plane Hijack by Belarus on 23 May 2021" Journalism and Media 3, no. 3: 491-509. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia3030034