Was Russian President Vladimir Putin nominated for Time's 2023 Person of the Year Award based on his leadership skills and positive contributions? No, that's not true: According to Time magazine's website, the award is an annual recognition of the individual, group or concept that has exerted the most significant influence on the world in the preceding 12 months, irrespective of whether the impact was positive or negative. It is not a form of endorsement or a matter of public approval; rather, it serves as an acknowledgment of the force by this individual that has shaped the world.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on December 5, 2023. The text (translated from Czech to English by Lead Stories staff) read: "The Russian president has been shortlisted for Time magazine's Person of the Year 2023. Vladimir Putin is among the 9 candidates for the title. Neither Ukraine nor President Biden made the list." Comments included (as translated):
certainly, yes, at the moment the best leader in Europe
who else? he is a normal president in the world, I would personally give him the Nobel Peace Prize
I wish it to Mr. Putin, he deserves it
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Sat Dec 9 15:36:43 2023 UTC)
While this year's nominations by Time may have sparked some confusion, it is only meant to symbolize the level of influence or significance that the person or idea has had on global affairs in the past 12 months. Previous honorees have included such notable figures such as President Joe Biden, and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Among the nine finalists for the 2023 award, Putin stood alongside candidates like Barbie, China's Xi Jinping and singer Taylor Swift. However, on December 6, 2023, Swift was declared the Person of the Year. The accompanying article hailed her as the "master storyteller of the modern era."
Putin had previously been designated as the Person of the Year in 2007. Time magazine, in its assessment, emphasized the pivotal role of Russia's destiny in world history at that time. Putin was acknowledged as a leader who played a crucial role in stabilizing the nation, preventing it from potentially becoming a "failed state" before he came to power.
