Putin: Post Crimea, Pre Election. A Content Analysis of Vladimir Putin’s Many Faces in Swedish and Finnish Press during 2016.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse how Svenska Dagbladet and Hufvudstadsbladet framed Russia’s president Vladimir Putin during 2016 using framing theory. The study showed that the dominating overall frame was game framing in both publications. Putin, when mentioned, was often a side character. The descriptions of him were as a general rule free from value laden words. Nevertheless, they managed to frame him as dangerous and aggressive on a regular basis. This occurred much more frequently in Svenska Dagbladet than in Hufvudstadsbladet. Several other sub-frames were used to describe his person, but they appeared less frequently.