2026-09-19T01:48:43Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1243902025-10-27T18:00:44Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
William Uricchio.
Graydon, Matthew G.(Matthew Galen)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Comparative Media Studies.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
2020-03-27T16:25:54Z
2020-03-27T16:25:54Z
2019
2019
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/124390
1117771679
Thesis: S.M. in Comparative Media Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies/Writing, 2019
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 90-105).
The state-sponsored news network RT (formerly Russia Today) was launched in 2005 as a platform for improving Russia's global image. Fourteen years later, RT has become a self-described tool for information warfare and is under increasing scrutiny from the United States government for allegedly fomenting unrest and undermining democracy. It has also grown far beyond its television roots, achieving a broad diffusion across a variety of digital platforms. This thesis seeks to unravel and assess RT's historical roots, its creation and evolution, its methods, and ultimately its impact on American politics and society. Drawing on a broad analysis of RT's television, web, and social media content, I argue that RT strategically reconfigures traditional concepts of soft power, propaganda, and disinformation to spread disruption and doubt throughout the media landscape in a hybrid model that can be termed "Disinformation 2.0." I go on to ask if established frameworks for measuring media engagement are able to accurately capture RT's impact, given both the network's multi-platform structure and its subversion of conventional communication models.
by Matthew G. Graydon.
S.M. in Comparative Media Studies
S.M.inComparativeMediaStudies Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies/Writing
105 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Comparative Media Studies.
Manufacturing dissent : assessing the methods and impact of RT (Russia Today)
Thesis
application/pdf
2020-03-27T16:25:53Z
Publication
Master
CMS
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<Abstract>The state-sponsored news network RT (formerly Russia Today) was launched in 2005 as a platform for improving Russia's global image. Fourteen years later, RT has become a self-described tool for information warfare and is under increasing scrutiny from the United States government for allegedly fomenting unrest and undermining democracy. It has also grown far beyond its television roots, achieving a broad diffusion across a variety of digital platforms. This thesis seeks to unravel and assess RT's historical roots, its creation and evolution, its methods, and ultimately its impact on American politics and society. Drawing on a broad analysis of RT's television, web, and social media content, I argue that RT strategically reconfigures traditional concepts of soft power, propaganda, and disinformation to spread disruption and doubt throughout the media landscape in a hybrid model that can be termed "Disinformation 2.0." I go on to ask if established frameworks for measuring media engagement are able to accurately capture RT's impact, given both the network's multi-platform structure and its subversion of conventional communication models.</Abstract>
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