Touching Distance: The underlying Russophilia in the Skripal Case Coverage in Greek Press

Abstract

Theories of mediatization and domestication provide an analytical framework in understanding how patterns of interpretation are related to the public opinion’s attitudes towards actors and topics. In this study, we focus on the coverage of the Skripal case by major Greek newspapers in March 2018 in a pursuit to determine the variety of dispositions towards Russia. The Greek media’s coverage seems to comply with a disengaged approach: more news than views. The majority of news reports -instead of opinions- can be regarded as an effect of awkwardness or a choice not to provide analysis on Russia, even though the abundant news reports have the exact opposite effect of maintaining the public’s vivid interest. By performing a content analysis on articles with references to Russia, we seek to look beneath this veneer. We suggest that the Greek newspapers’ coverage is linked with more structural traits, such as Russophilia, as we identify several distinct subcultures in the press when it comes to dispositions towards Russia.