Objectives: The purpose of this article is to analyze the portrayal of Iran in the Russian media, particularly in the Ria Novosti news agency. Given the relations between Iran and Russia over have entered a new phase since the Islamic Revolution, understanding how Russian media shape’s public opinion is crucial.
Method: Qualitative content analysis, utilizing thematic analysis techniques, was employed to conduct this research. News articles from the Russian news agency covering military-political, economic, and cultural-social topics between the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war on February 24, 2022, and the beginning of 2023 were examined. A total of 131 news items were reviewed and coded in three stages based on applied search criteria.
Results: The analysis of news articles revealed key themes in three main areas: military-political, economic, and cultural-social. In the military-political realm, topics included the power of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, bilateral military policies, the nuclear issue, sanctions and Iran's orientation towards the East.Economic themes encompassed the foundation of economic cooperation, sanctions' impact on cooperation, and efforts to reduce dependency on the dollar. Cultural and social topics highlighted the importance of cultural ties, and leveraging culture for bilateral benefit. Overall, the overarching themes of "challenging Western dominance," "strengthening East-East cooperation," and "cultural harmony between nations" emerged.
Conclusions: Iran and Russia are working together to amplify their voices on the global stage and challenge the dominance of the West. Emphasizing the need to bolster bilateral ties and counter Western dominance, both Iran and Russia prioritize expanding relations and interactions. Achieving this goal hinges on promoting positive portrayals of interactions between the two nations and fostering favorable media representations of each other.