Putin’s media image on a downward slide towards Kim Jong-Un and Bashar Al Assad

Image of Russia and Vladimir Putin on international TV news before and after Sochi, and with Crimea; long-term analysis 2001-2014

March 7, 2014. Rapperswil -- Vladimir Putin’s media image crashes. Russia overtaking Crimea is throwing back its public picture into that of the Cold War. Not only did Putin’s image return to the low figures before the Sochi games but hit an all-time low, according to new research from Swiss-based research institute Media Tenor International.

The Russian leader’s image faces a downward slide towards the world’s leading bad guys, North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-Un and Syria’s suppressor Bashar Al Assad. All the good will Putin had earned in mediating the Syrian conflict in autumn 2013 he lost in only one week finding himself close to Assad’s bad media image. Today Russia’s media image resembles a rating like in 2006 when the assassination of the Russian journalist, writer and humans rights activist Anna Politkovskaya provoked strong international reactions.

“Cold War II is not the Russian brand Putin wanted to see two weeks after Sochi” says Roland Schatz, Founder and CEO of Media Tenor International. “Only three days of positive TV coverage on Russia is Putin’s bitter balance of the Sochi games, and an image crash after Sochi the opposite of what he had aimed at”adds Schatz.

The main message of media analysis after the Sochi games: With Crimea and possibly more trouble to come Russia’s media image has to face a long way to really recover, not before and even after peaceful and internationally agreed solutions.

Media analysis around Sochi has another message apart of the international crisis of Russia’s ambitions in Ukraine. In light of the findings on the media impact momentum of the last three Olympic games, other countries may wish to consider whether big sporting events are able to pass a comprehensive and profound cost-benefit analysis. The IOC and other sports institutions might evaluate their strategies too.

Basis: 1 259 reports on Foreign Heads of States in 14 global TV news programs in 7 countries, 01 – 03/2014; 9,785 news stories on Russia on 13 German, U.K. and U.S.TV news shows 1/2001 – 12/2003; 867 news stories on Canada, 4,293 on the U.K. and 2,373 on Russia 7/2001 – 3/2014. For additional information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.