Pension Reform Framing on Russian Federal Television: Editorial Policy and Audience Reaction

Russian Politics. 2024. Vol. 9. No. 2. P. 236–256.

Yefanov A., Tomin V.

The pension reform implemented in Russia in 2018, primarily associated with raising the retirement age, has become evidence of a ‘miscalculation’ of media controllers. Such a ‘miscalculation’ is explained by the improvidence of the ongoing campaign in promoting pension reform. This is mainly due to the lack of elaboration during the prediction of risks associated with naming the legislative initiative and the intensity of its representation. As a result, the ‘pension reform’ frame, constructed and subsequently promoted by Russian federal TV channels, caused the non-linearity of the media process, inspiring protest moods in the social environment. The media controllers had to modify their editorial policy strategy. After facing challenges, the 'Big Trio' was forced to choose a new frame and decide on a new approach and strategy of representation. This helped them to bring stability to the social environment, decrease the risk of reputational damage to the ruling class, and create a foundation to introduce more political initiatives successfully.

Keywords: pension reform, Russian television, framing, editorial policy, media priming