Manufacturing consent in the Finnish mainstream media : a mixed-method content and critical discourse analysis comparing the portrayal of two dissidents in Finnish-Swedish mainstream media (HBL): Julian Assange vs. Aleksey Navalny

Abstract

This master's thesis examines the double standards in reporting about whistleblowers and dissidents in the Western news media. The purpose of this study was to compare reporting on two high-profile dissidents, Aleksey Navalny and Julian Assange, in Finland's largest Swedish-speaking news media, Hufvudstadsbladet. The method employs a combination of Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis to compare over 500 articles between 2018 and 2025. The results of the study reveal unmistakable differences in the articles, both qualitative and quantitative. Julian Assange, a dissident of the West, is portrayed negatively, while Aleksey Navalny is framed as a hero. The thesis uses Ellul's notion of propaganda and Chomsky/Herman's Propaganda Model framework and its expectations as a benchmark.