Legacy Media Coverage of Russia’s Activities in the Arctic

The changing conditions in the Arctic have sparked interest for stakeholders across the globe. The melting ice sheets create both opportunities and challenges. New transport routes are opening up that would shorten delivery times to both Europe and Asia significantly. Oil and gas exploration is of interest to many. Warmer temperatures threaten biodiversity and the communities dependent thereupon. Geopolitical and security issues are of concern and actors such as China and the EU are vying for position. With the largest Arctic coastline of all the Arctic states, Russia has by far the most dominating presence in the region.
For decades, Russia’s motivations, both generally and in the Arctic, have been an enigma for Western audiences to decipher, which leaves room for various interpretations and the potential for misunderstanding. The media plays a significant role when it comes to informing the public by drawing insights from current developments. The media has the power to shape and influence the public’s opinion, whether rightly or wrongly.
This study incorporates a content analysis of legacy news media outlets from a multi-national perspective. Key themes and narratives from the US, Germany, Norway and Iceland are evaluated and compared as these states all have a claim in the Arctic and yet have a unique relationship with Russia.
From a multi-national perspective, the media coverage in this study has revealed the Arctic’s distinctive duality of cooperation and tension. The coverage, as expected, reflects the differing national stances towards Russia whereby the distinctive interests of each state are seen in the reporting. These discrepancies are indicative of the respective government’s commitment to and policy in the region in the future. As we have witnessed in the wake of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, each state’s relationship with Russia and the subsequent reporting of relations can and will change in accordance with world events. Such changes in dynamics provide ample material for a future study.