By: Pranjali J Mann, News Writer
SFU Public Square, in collaboration with Digital Democracies Institute, SFU School of Communication, and SFU School for International Studies hosted a panel discussion on “The Russia-Ukraine War and Media.” The panel investigated the role of the media in formulating public opinion and narratives.
Russia actively waged war on north-eastern territories of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This resulted in military clashes between the countries, which has been ongoing for eight months. Various attempts including bombing Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, military bases, and civilian attacks were carried out by the Russian army. This has caused an increase in media coverage in the area. Moderator Nicole Jackson, opened the discussion by highlighting, “This war has seen an extraordinary level of media engagement and narrative, spinning a large spectrum of misinformation and disinformation.” She talked about the importance of “complex media ecosystems,” wherein different forms of information consumption occurs — through traditional mainstream media such as news channels, or newer forms including social media and podcasts.
German analyst at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies (SCEEUS) Andreas Umland said a large part of the European Union looks at the Ukraine war through a lens of empathy, as its citizens fight for “independence, for liberation, and survival.” As war intensifies in the region, he said western countries abstain from “investing too much into this war as it could be expensive — not only in terms of military, but the possibility of World War III.”
According to panelist Vasyl Cherepanyn, head of the Visual Culture Research Center (VCRC), the western media coverage of the war is problematic. He observed that most of the western media referred to the ongoing war as “Ukraine’s war, or war in Ukraine, without mentioning Russia at all.” He explained, “This is problematic. At the same time, it’s not only a Russian-Ukrainian war. It is the great European war.”
Cherepanyn added that the media holds the capacity to both deter the war and incite fear and anger. Rather than conveying the outrage felt by Ukrainians, western media has assigned Ukraine citizens the role of “victims,” he explained. Ukrainians’ analysis of the war is diminished by western media as “first-hand observations or personal stories.” He said the media limits coverage on Ukrainians’ fury and rage, so they can consider the “rational judgment.”
Further, PhD student at SFU’s School of Communication Kayla Hilstob, brought in the perspective of research that links media discussions and the “oil and gas sector fueling Russia’s war budget.” She suggested that “ethical oil” was central to some online media discussions of the war. As Hilstob explained, the term “ethical oil” was coined by Ezra Levant who questioned relations and dependency of the world’s oil being extracted from “authoritarian governments” like Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Hilstob referred to some initial findings that “nearly half of Canadians [say] that not expanding fuel extraction is aiding Putin’s war.” This is because some Canadians are concerned for their energy security, and feel expanding Canadian oil production will offer more stability. She underlined this is a dangerous line of thinking and threatens work being done by climate activists and Indigenous communities in the country.
Svitlana Matviyenko, assistant professor at SFU’s School of Communication, investigated the driving force of the war and the ways in which media reports on it. Specifically looking at use of terror in media discourses, she said, “We see more production of terror than production of disinformation” in this war. She stated, “It’s not just lies, it’s not just information. It’s massaged with feelings and effects that target [the] Ukrainian population in serious ways.”
Matviyenko also indicated the media plays a role in the way we understand information, its perception and in the consumption of narratives. She closed by illustrating, “We are at the same time overwhelmed with all the information we are given — videos, publications, witness accounts.”
