Journalistic deception: Exploring the relationship between propaganda, disinformation, and independent journalism in an authoritarian regime

A newer line of scholarship urges researchers to devote more attention to “propaganda-press cultures,” which are defined as media environments in which journalists participate in or challenge propaganda. In such environments, propaganda and journalism become increasingly intertwined. Drawing on a visual and textual analysis of 174 online news articles, this study examines Russian exiled journalists’ role in the propaganda-press culture that has arisen out of the war in Ukraine. Findings reveal that Russian exiled journalists subvert, resist, and actively refute Russian propaganda narratives. However, at the same time, they also inadvertently give leverage to propaganda by (1) presenting alternative explanations for events and (2) sharing stories that indirectly provide legitimacy to Russian propaganda. In addition to expanding understandings of propaganda-press cultures beyond the West, this study points toward the complexities of authoritarian media systems by highlighting the more covert ways in which exiled journalists can engage with deception.