Educational Media Reviews Online

In 2013, the various state-run news agencies in Russia were consolidated into one agency called Russia Today. Russian leader Vladimir Putin chose Dmitry Kiselyov, who had the country's most-watched news program, to lead the agency. At a meeting of Russia Today staffers, shown in Our New President, Kiselyov declared, "The time of detached, unbiased journalism is over," and that "objectivity leads to a disdainful picture." Editorial policy at Russia Today "will be based on love of Russia."

From the examples of Russia Today's coverage of the 2016 presidential election in the U.S. that are included in Our New President, a "love of Russia" meant that Donald Trump was the correct choice for president, and that Hillary Clinton was a sick woman who must be stopped at all costs.

There have been charges that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, denied by Trump and his supporters. But as this documentary shows in its clips from Russian state news broadcasts (subtitled in English), there was undeniably an extraordinary interest by Russia in the election, and a very definite view on who should be elected.

Coverage of Trump was uniformly positive in these clips, even aggrandizing. In contrast, Clinton was portrayed as a woman of evil intent with various illnesses (perhaps even dementia) who had an assistant always ready to inject her with drugs.

Broadcasts from Russia Today can be seen on its English-language network, available on cable and satellite systems and the Internet. But at least in the U.S., there are many different media outlets to choose from. Russians are not so lucky.

With the government's viewpoint the dominant, if not the only, one available to Russians, it's no wonder that Trump was regarded as a hero by many. Indeed, the title of the documentary, Our New President, can be seen as a reflection of the view that Trump was so loved by many Russians, it was like he was president of Russia rather than the U.S.

The documentary features clips from videos uploaded by Russian citizens that are rapturous in their praise of Trump. Some are simple testimonials, while others set the praise to music. For those that are not Trump acolytes, these clips provide a grim reminder of how powerful propaganda can be on its intended audiences.

Our New President is presented without narration or commentary, and only a small amount of historical context. There's no effort to debunk any of the charges against Clinton made by Russia Today. One can envision Trump fans seeing this documentary and totally believing everything said by Russia Today and cheering on the Russians praising Trump.

For academic audiences, the documentary provides primary source material for classes in propaganda, political communication, and use of mass media, as well as studies of contemporary Russia. The video is a definite recommendation for them.

Awards:
Official Selection and Winner of The Special Jury Award for Best Editing Documentary at Sundance Film Festival 2018; Official Selection of Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2018 and Full Frame Film Festival 2018

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