Priming for War: Ukraine in Russian Domestic Television News, 2009–2019
Journal: The International Journal of Press/Politics
Year: 2025

This study investigates Russian television coverage of Ukraine between 2009 and 2019, drawing on a dataset of over 2.3 million news episodes from eight major television networks and one news agency (Interfax), including both state-controlled and relatively independent outlets. Combining natural language processing techniques with a quasi-experimental design, the analysis traces changes in content patterns over time. The results provide strong evidence consistent with the first hypothesis: follow