Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev Dies
We ran the numbers: There are 949 news articles covering this topic. 38% (363) are left-leaning, 44% (422) are centrist, and 17% (164) are right-leaning.
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the USSR, died at 91 on Tuesday. While left-leaning articles highlight Gorbachev’s legacy, right-leaning articles highlight how the former leader will not receive a state funeral from Russia.
The Hill published a centrist article reporting on how President Biden called Gorbachev “a man of remarkable vision” and noted his key role in ending the Soviet Union. Biden said that Gorbachev “believed in glasnost and perestroika – openness and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation.”
A left-leaning article from CNN focuses on how Gorbachev played a key role in bringing about political and economic reforms to the USSR. The leader also helped to end the Cold War. The article also notes how Gorbachev had been in failing health for a while.
A right-leaning article from Fox News focuses on how Vladimir Putin will not attend Gorbachev’s funeral and how Gorbachev will also not receive a full state funeral. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that “there will be elements of a state funeral in the sense that there will be a guard of honor. A farewell will be organized. In this case, the state will assist in organizing these funerals.”