'Clumsy' Protesters and Clever Elites

Abstract: On May 2nd 2014 in Odessa a tragic incident occurred between pro-Ukrainian activists and pro-Russian activists which claimed around 40 lives. This was perceived by some officials as the beginning of a war, since it reflected the great instability and hostilities in Ukraine. Russian, Ukrainian and American officials were quick to comment the situation in favor their own side in order to gain support. A war of words began instead, reflected both in media and in comments made by officials. The goal of this war was to bend the truth in a way which made their own hands clean and the other one’s dirty. Our study reveals the connection between political elite and media, and how the American media differs from the Russian media. The article uses framing theory along with Mearsheimer’s theories about lying in international relations to conclude how and why the connections exist.