Seeing Red: Russian Propaganda and US News

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Seeing Red breaks new ground in investigating the scope of Russian disinformation, arguing that key politicians and media outlets in the United States have facilitated the dissemination of Russian propaganda. From the 2020 elections to the Capitol Insurrection to the war in Ukraine, Sarah Oates and Gordon Neil Ramsay examine the penetration of key Kremlin strategic narratives that attempt to project Russian power, blame NATO for Russian aggression, and attack democracy via the U.S. news. Despite knowledge of the risk and resourceful work on tracking down Russian propaganda in the United States, the problem of foreign disinformation continues to this day. As Oates and Ramsay argue, this is in part due to exploitation of the American tradition of free speech and the open nature of the U.S. media system. Yet, the much more dangerous menace lies not in how foreign governments attempt to manipulate the media, but in how our media system has been compromised by domestic actors who follow an authoritarian playbook and promote anti-democratic narratives. When it is hard to tell the difference between what the Russians are saying about the Democrats and how Fox News is covering Joe Biden, it is time to realize that some American outlets have crossed the line from news to propaganda.

Research

In-depth studies on how media can support or subvert democracy.

Research Papers and Articles

Thirty years of research exploring how media shapes politics across Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Meet Sarah Oates

Sarah Oates is a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher who has spent 30 years studying Russian media and its impact on democracy. She is currently Associate Dean for Research at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

Alex P.