Although concerns have been voiced more than once regarding the impact of Russian state-sponsored media consumption on international audiences, there is little empirical research on the subject.

This study investigates how the audience (people) in Latvia reacts to the messages (narratives) disseminated by the Kremlin-funded news channel Sputnik Latvija. We began with a three-part methodological approach involving an analysis of the types of narratives projected by the broadcaster. We then examined how ethnic Latvians and Russian-speaking participants in the study in Latvia reacted to destructive narratives that depict Latvia as a failure, which is the most prominent type of message in our analysis. We utilised two types of surveys. We found evidence that exposure to destructive messages triggered quite similar reactions in both groups; however, using exploratory analysis and post-survey focus groups, it is shown that the motivations may differ. In conclusion, we discuss the potential reasons for these differences and the implications of these results.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1060586X.2023.2275507?af=R