Current problems of politics in modern media. American journalists named the main problems of modern media - Rossiyskaya Gazeta. What is your biggest sin in journalism?

Current problems of our time and journalism

Over the past 10 years, social life has undergone many changes. There are many reasons: scientific and technological progress, changes in people’s values, transformation of culture, rethinking of many things, an increase in the number of educated people, and so on. All these phenomena are interconnected and have their own causes and consequences. At the moment, almost every person has his own home, education, a minimum set of necessary equipment, rights and responsibilities, work, access to all medicines and products, a variety of ways to relax and have fun. In words everything sounds good and prosperous, but is it really so? Doesn't a person have any problems in the 21st century? It seems that things cannot be better; man has always strived for the well-being of his own life, except that he wants science and technology to develop even faster. But it is not so. The modern world is very complex and sometimes not clear even to us. It is complicated by the fact that we are bombarded with a huge flow of information; the pace of life has become very fast due to technological progress, the modern economy and people’s needs. New values of modern society do not always take root in people’s minds, and some, on the contrary, change too quickly, and there is no constancy. More and more often we see that people go crazy, commit suicide, harm a huge number of people, do not understand why they live, do not know where the truth is. A person, having received a lot of material benefits, seems to have forgotten about something, lost some kind of landmark. Even this most material benefit can simply disappear at one moment due to the variability of our time, but what then will remain with us? journalism propaganda society technology

In my essay I would like to understand the problems of modern society, their causes and consequences. I would also like to pay attention to journalism, since this socio-cultural phenomenon is a reflection of our life, our society, and helps us navigate it. Accordingly, if there are problems in modern society, then they exist in journalism, since these two phenomena are inextricably linked and are a reflection of each other. Or maybe it is journalism that creates these very problems that affect us so much? In my opinion, modern journalism has a huge impact on society. The media has the power to impose certain judgments, thoughts, images, even dreams. It’s not for nothing that the media is called the “fourth estate.” Thanks to the development of technology, the media are taking new forms, looking for new ways to influence our consciousness, and, it seems to me, successfully. That is, I am of the opinion that the media most often create new problems for modern society, periodically exacerbating them, directing people’s thought processes in the right direction. Of course, this does not happen in all cases, but still, as practice shows, in most of them. What are the main problems in modern society and journalism that I see? I would like to discuss each of them. I highlight three main, most striking problems of our society and journalism, which have a direct or indirect connection with each other. There are, of course, many more problems, but the points listed below seem to me to be the most relevant. Firstly, I would like to pay attention to mass culture, or more precisely, its consequences. Secondly, it seems to me that the big problem of journalism is its close connection with politics, the problem of propaganda, which distorts people’s understanding of the world; accordingly, this is another problem of modern society. Thirdly, the rapid development of technology, which directly influenced the needs of society and the quality of journalism. Now let's talk more about each of the problems.

Mass culture “is the culture of everyday life, entertainment and information that prevails in modern society. It includes such phenomena as the media (including television and radio), sports, cinema, music (including pop music), popular literature, fine arts, etc." Thanks to mass culture, journalism received a branch - mass communications, advertising. Mass culture began to form back in the 20th century, but it has reached its apogee now, in our time. A sign of “mass popularity” means something of low quality, stupid, like another chewing gum advertisement. Many of us understand that mass culture does not bring any benefit, but we still go to see another meaningless comedy. Why is everything happening like this? I believe the reason is that the media is happy to indulge mindless popular culture. It is everywhere and around us: for example, women's magazines are especially fond of mass culture - half of them consist of advertising of unnecessary products, half of gossip, talk about fashion and other nonsense. Television is mass culture squared. In the last five years, many programs, shows, and series have appeared on Russian television, but are they all good? I would say no. For the most part, programs and series do not carry any meaning, but they look so attractive at first glance that a large number of people watch them. It is human nature to be distracted from serious problems and forget them, so they try to do this using such an easy and accessible method. It often seems to me that the media are only too happy to put pressure on this human weakness for their own purposes. It’s beneficial for everyone: journalists don’t need to work hard, no analytics are needed, no one is interested in their own thoughts, it’s easier to provide another portion of “spectacle” in “Let Them Talk.” This is also how the media distracts from really important issues. Of course, everything is not so sad: there are many analytical and educational programs even on federal channels, but they are shown either early in the morning or late at night. The ratings of such programs are much lower than those of “The Voice”. Mass culture likes to place emphasis on what is not the best qualities of a person, and from this follows the “cult of consumption.” This cult is evident in all media. The same advertising that is in all types of media: newspapers, radio and television. Advertising tells us to endlessly buy, buy, buy. Consumers are not only viewers, but also the characters of TV series and talk shows. Nowadays everything can be sold, and information even more so. People's attitude to information has become the same as to going to a fast food establishment - quickly grab it, swallow it and go on about their business. That is, I want to say that for the most part the quality of journalistic work has deteriorated: any news can be bought, materials are produced quickly, there is no analysis or personal opinion. The consequence of mass production is facelessness; journalists’ materials are increasingly the same. In order for any media outlet to stay afloat, it needs to be “in trend,” and the needs of modern society sometimes leave much to be desired. Ideally, culture is something sublime, monumental, and thought-provoking. And in turn, journalism should not only report on the next fashion show and advertise the next yogurt, but also educate and help people navigate the world around them. Unfortunately, this happens less and less.

I will now turn to the connection between politics and journalism. We don't just live in a society, we live in a state. We are the state. A state without politics cannot exist now. Accordingly, politics and journalism are very closely related. For journalists to function normally, it is not beneficial for them to be at odds with the state. At the same time, there should always be opposition, as a confirmation of dissent and for the development of society and the state as a whole, but, unfortunately, the role of the opposition in the media system of our country is extremely small. Maybe the experience of the Soviet Union, a totalitarian state, is to blame? It just so happens that for several decades the media have been a means of political propaganda and nothing more. Now there are many private publications, but this has not changed the situation much. Such a fact cannot disappear once and for all. It is also possible that the Russian mentality is to blame, the habit of remaining silent and tolerating, because in extreme cases, you can discuss politics in the kitchen at home. Social and political journalism in modern Russian conditions is not able to solve its main task - an objective reflection of reality. This is hampered by the pronounced political bias of the media - their dependence on people and organizations in power, the interests of large financial and industrial groups that influence political decision-making throughout the country. As a result, many journalists, by their own admission, feel significant restrictions on freedom of speech, and in a number of editorial offices, the founders of the media have already introduced preliminary censorship, which is fundamentally at odds with the provisions of Russian legislation in the field of mass media. Under these conditions, even the desire for objectivity of information turns out to be unattainable, which calls into question the professional priorities of journalism. You can disagree with me by saying that we still have freedom of speech, it is legal in our country. Formally, there is freedom. Only its concept in our country is completely different - not freedom of thought, but freedom in readers and viewers. The media can convey an ideology pleasing to the state, propagate things that the authorities need, as long as the reader and viewer do not notice anything. Dissent in the media regarding the political sphere is almost impossible to find. At the same time, the information is taught so competently that sometimes you believe everything that is written in some publication or said on TV. It seems to us that it simply cannot be any other way; everything that is told to us is true. It’s possible that there really aren’t that many lies, but it’s another matter that it’s scary to imagine how many things politicians and journalists themselves don’t tell.

And now about the last problem - about the technological progress that has occurred quite recently. We have seen a technical revolution that has very significantly changed our lives. Some things have become more complicated (you constantly need money for new equipment or to repair it), some things have become simpler (people communicating, searching for information, less time is spent on household chores, shopping, work, and so on). Unfortunately, modern people have quite a few problems due to technology - from deteriorating vision to complete dependence on technology, due to disruption of which people can suffer. There is a tendency among modern children and teenagers to become withdrawn and prefer the Internet space to reality. Journalism, of course, is closely related to technological advances. With the help of technology, information is transmitted quickly and easily. Every year the number of online publications is growing - both electronic versions of existing newspapers and periodicals that have no analogues on paper. Television companies and radio stations are broadcasting online, and network information and advertising agencies are emerging. Modern journalism is on the threshold of the emergence of a new type of online journalism. Journalists are actively exploring social networks, writing news, and promoting the publications they work for. On the one hand, this is great for journalism, but if you dig deeper, several problems become noticeable: firstly, material from the Internet is not always of high quality, since everything is done quickly, it turns out superficial and sometimes it is not even created by a professional. Nowadays any blog is considered a mass media. On the one hand, this is the development of citizen journalism, but on the other, who said that no one will control their words? Who said that any blogger is an educated and adequate person whose materials you can rely on? Whatever one may say, the profession of a journalist is difficult and has many nuances. Secondly, on the Internet there is no filtering of the information flow as such; you can stumble upon a “duck” or some unacceptable content for a certain group of people. To find something worthwhile and useful on the Internet, you need to know how to use it and try very hard. By the way, about skills. There are few places where you can learn online journalism and its specifics. Universities mostly teach “classical” journalism, without a technical bias, at least minimally. At the moment, it is impossible to deny the strong influence of new technologies, in particular the World Wide Web, on our lives. There is online journalism in Russia, but it is developing very slowly, most often it is not professional, not competent, and not organized. Journalism should be on the same wavelength with the ongoing trends of the current time, but we are not doing this very well for economic and technical reasons. It is difficult to imagine what will become of it and how it will develop in the near future. Some argue that the Internet will replace paper publications and television, others say that this is unlikely to happen in the near future, since there are not as many people who want to receive information quickly as there are conservatives who will be faithful exclusively to the results of the work of classical journalists . In general, it seems to me that online journalism is the future, and we should not ignore it under any circumstances. You just need to gain experience, skills and not be afraid of the Internet.

Unfortunately, the problems of modernity and journalism that I have listed are still difficult to solve. They are serious, many understand them, but there is no optimal way out of these situations yet. Everything will depend on what people will be like in the next 10 years, what trends will occur in society, how journalism will react to all this, will it be able to analyze, notice and educate again, or will something new happen? These questions still remain open.

For the media and communications, the most important thing, of course, is their content, without which neither the press’s communicative function, nor the ambitious plans to transform journalism into the “fourth estate,” nor the effectiveness of forming and managing public opinion, nor the income of media corporations are conceivable. In journalism, two people play a leading role: the journalist and the reader (listener, viewer). The nature of journalism depends on their interaction.

Today, the range of topics that journalism covers is very wide: from narrowly focused to global. The global environmental problem today forces us all to join forces, makes our world interdependent and forces us to pay more and more attention to universal problems. In this case, we are talking about such problems as health and health preservation, as well as the development of new resources, primarily in the field of knowledge. If you look at most publications that introduce ecology as a field of knowledge, it is difficult to draw a clear boundary between the social and natural science components of this discipline - they are so interconnected.

But it is obvious that all these publications define the range of topics that become the subject of conversation in other publications. One of them is the rational use of natural resources. Ecology, as is clear from almost every publication in the press, is an area of knowledge where there are no secondary problems. Massive polluting impact on the environment is a serious danger to human life. Landfills and landfills, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, fumes from car exhaust, dying trees, acid rain, ozone holes - all this is our reality. And topics for those who develop environmental topics. The state is urgently seeking funds for the construction of treatment facilities, waste processing plants, and the equipment of urban waste disposal sites with the latest technology. Many publications talk about this. Some introduce the experience of richer countries. For example, in Germany, where garbage collection is a serious matter that requires responsibility, an independent branch of the country's economy. Others talk about why garbage collection in Belarus has not yet become a popular and profitable business. After all, to produce, say, one ton of PET bottles, 273 tons of oil and 95 cubic meters of natural gas are needed. And a PET bottle can be recycled up to nine times.

Belarus is called “blue-eyed” due to the large number of lakes. Belarus is called the “lungs of Europe” thanks to its numerous forests and swamps. Belarus is called the land “under white wings” - and now you can see a stork’s nest next to a rural hut. Until now, Belarus is experiencing the most terrible environmental disaster - the Chernobyl accident, which turned into a national tragedy, the consequences of which our grandchildren will still have to deal with. Unfortunately, radioactive contamination is one of the main causes of deteriorating health not only for the Belarusian nation, but throughout Europe. The “remaking of nature”, fashionable in Soviet times, also contributed to the deterioration of the environmental situation in Belarus. The drainage of the swamps did not lead to the expected results, but the unique biosphere was disrupted, which immediately affected the ecological state of all of Europe.

In the field of environmental journalism, problematic topics have long been identified, which constantly occupy the leading lines of a kind of rating: energy, energy and resource conservation; great rivers and forests, desertification and deforestation; environmentally friendly and safe products; production and consumption waste, their processing; new non-traditional plants and prospects for their use (genetically modified products).

It is clear that the list is not limited to these topics. Moreover, he is mobile. But at the moment these are the publications our press offers.

Another topic that occupies its niche in the media is the crime topic. Unfortunately, the flow of publications on this topic does not dry out, rather, on the contrary. Why does crime occupy such a significant place in our newspapers? The answer is very simple: because, first of all, it exists in society itself. It is the shortcomings of this society - unemployment, social inequality, declining living standards, alcoholism, drug addiction - that create fertile soil for crime, give rise to social depression and increase the potential for social instability." Perhaps now it will seem strange, but there was a time when crime was only reports, there were no large materials for a whole page, just as there were no colorful collages.

Now the situation has changed dramatically. Recently, journalists with a “narrow specialization” have appeared, including criminal ones. Almost every newspaper has correspondents who deal mainly only with crime. Sources of information for a journalist working with crime are the press services of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, regional, and city ones. Recently, there has been a tendency for crime reports and crime scene reports to disappear from the pages of newspapers. Also, certain requirements are imposed on crime materials by newspaper editors: the crime described in the newspaper must be special - cruel, bloody, with some shocking details. And the most depressing thing about this is that such stories are given by life itself, or rather, by the crimes committed in it. Another problem with criminal topics is the small number of high-quality publications. To create a high-quality crime publication, careful marketing is necessary, i.e. you need to study the sales market, the main circle of readers, what the publication should look like - should it be in color, and therefore expensive, or, conversely, not in color and cheap. A careful approach is needed to the creation and publication of a newspaper, especially with such a topic. After all, not every advertiser will decide to place their ad in a crime publication.

Modern society is also seriously concerned about the epidemic of drug addiction, which annually claims hundreds of thousands of human lives. In modern periodicals, there are a number of topics that journalists turn to most often. Journalists write about the need to give up drugs; drug addiction is seen as an addiction and a disease from which it is almost impossible to completely recover. If previously it was believed that taking drugs was fashionable, now the emphasis is on a healthy lifestyle, and there is nothing fashionable, fun and interesting about using drugs.

The rural topic also occupies a certain place among other equally important topics, since it is the most important sector of the Belarusian economy and the main component of the country’s agro-industrial complex. Producers of various forms of ownership and management participate in the production of agricultural products: agricultural enterprises, farm (peasant) farms, household plots, and other forms of management. However, the number of unprofitable organizations there still remains quite large - 10.7% of the total number of operating enterprises, against 2.3% in the entire economy of the republic. This is practically the only factor influencing the fact that currently the level of wages in agriculture lags significantly behind the republican average (315 thousand Belarusian rubles against 614 thousand on average in the republic and 1 million 100 thousand Belarusian rubles in the highest paid industry of the republic - oil refining.) Also not encouraging is the figure that as of today, 23.4% of the total volume of overdue debt in Belarus comes from agriculture. Modern media (newspapers, television) sensitively reflect this deplorable state of the country's agro-industrial complex.

Thus, we examined only some of the topics from the whole variety of topics covered by journalists today. There are, indeed, a great variety of topics and it is not possible to cover them all. However, all of them are united by one criterion - their relevance. Relevance - (from Late Lat. actualis actually existing present, modern), importance, significance of something for the present moment, modernity, topicality ... (Big Encyclopedic Dictionary) The way this publication responds to the topic of the day at the present time and will speak about its relevance . However, topics associated with any event may lose their relevance after some time, others, on the contrary, are always relevant, because the problems associated with them continue to exist in society. These are, for example, unemployment, corruption, prostitution, drug addiction, alcoholism, social inequality, crime, etc. However, not everything is so gloomy. Journalism also raises other topics related to the positive aspects of life.

The media play an important role in reflecting the problems of our time. Any high-profile event is covered in the media and their opinions may differ regarding the issue. Journalism is an operational activity, which means that events are already difficult to hide, new technical devices are appearing that enhance mobility.

The goal of this or that publishing house is to attract attention to a social problem. In the era of mass media globalization, the traditions of the information and communication process have changed, forming a new reality in society, resorting to electronic media. The mass media play an important role in reflecting political processes, creating an opinion about the state, politics, and political activities of the country.

What is globalization? I understand this word in a broad sense as a worldwide process of integration and unification in various areas of social life, be they political, economic or religious. From the point of view of communication, this is interconnection and interdependence, leading to the strengthening of any trend in the world community, but such processes are unthinkable if there is no development of mass communications. Today, thanks to the means of mass communication, we can quickly overcome both spatial and temporal boundaries of the information space.

Humanity feels like it belongs to some kind of global society, because the consumer of information has changed qualitatively. He is not an observer, but an active user. Thus, society is included in information processes; it can be argued that social integration is taking place.

The media create an ideology that becomes their strategy. Ideology fuels the public's constant interest. So, there are channels that show news 24 hours a day.

The boundary between the consumer and the manufacturer of products becomes very blurred: feedback appears, virtual communities are created that do not depend on space and time, wide sections of society can simultaneously discuss one problem. Mass media encodes information and does not simply provide it to the consumer. Most events will be perceived as actually happening if they are talked about in the media.

In relation to traditional journalism, globalization is determined both by the concentration of capital on a national scale and by the creation of international media concerns that unite information enterprises of two or even several countries.

In informationally developed societies, both manifestations exist in parallel with each other, although currently the tendency towards the corporate merger of individual media enterprises located in different countries into single information holdings is becoming increasingly noticeable. In Western countries, this process has become so intensified that there is reason to talk about the formation of a pronounced mechanism of influence on the part of the largest media enterprises.

Thus, the world's largest information concern, News International, headed by the American tycoon R. Murdoch, unites dozens of periodicals, radio and television companies, film industry enterprises, publishing houses on five continents, thus demonstrating an example of the existence multidimensional property in the information sphere (cross-media ownership). Within the structure of the concern there are media holdings, which include information enterprises operating in various countries. For example, in the UK there is the News Corporation, a subsidiary of the concern, which unites a number of national daily and Sunday newspapers.

The above example clearly confirms the direction in which the information business strategy is developing in the modern world. Globalization in this case is not just an increase in the number of media outlets existing within the framework of one economic and financial association. Second, the news business draws investment from other businesses run by media moguls. It is natural that many media owners abroad do not limit their business only to interests in the field of journalism, but strive to control the banking, insurance, tourism and other areas that guarantee stable income. Thus, the globalization of the information space in the modern world does not exist on its own, but affects various areas of activity and represents a complex process of convergence of political and economic interests. mass information globalization merger

In principle, a similar trend is observed within the Russian information space. The last decade in our country is also characterized by a process of concentration of capital and ownership in the field of journalism. Features of the formation and development trends of media holdings created with the personal participation of B. Berezovsky, V. Gusinsky and other media owners confirm the usual typology of these processes, formed in world practice. However, one cannot help but admit that the domestic information business is going through the stage of concentration of ownership on a national scale and has not yet reached the international level. However, it can be assumed that this will happen sooner or later due to Russia’s significant economic potential, which provides large financial reserves.

As with foreign practice, it is impossible to perceive the process of globalization in the Russian information sphere only from one-dimensional positions. This complex phenomenon, which in many respects has not yet been regulated by legal norms, fully reflects the current situation in the country: the formation of a political and economic elite.

Today there is reason to talk about a relapse of the previous one-sided thinking, which is demonstrated by the current owners of information companies. This is manifested in their desire to take a tough position on this or that debatable issue, their reluctance to organize controversy on the pages of their media, or to attract a wide audience to discuss issues.

In relation to Western journalism, such situations are extremely rare, which is largely due to the historical features of its existence. In foreign conditions, the media were formed (and continue to exist) as a political and social institution independent of the state and were perceived in the mass consciousness as a “watchdog” of democracy, protecting society from the state’s encroachments on the rights and freedoms of citizens. In Russia, the situation of journalism was fundamentally different from the very beginning: the emergence of mass media at the beginning of the 18th century. was sanctioned by the supreme power, and all the activities of journalism in subsequent centuries depended entirely not on legislative priorities, but on the personal political interests of senior statesmen. In this regard, the position of journalism in the Soviet period of history was in many ways the embodiment of the traditional guidelines of power, whose one-man invasion into the information sphere (at the level of strict subordination between party bodies and editorial offices) formed a one-dimensional perception by society of all the main phenomena of reality.

The current situation clearly illustrates that the globalization of the information process, which is largely universal in nature, in relation to a single country inevitably accumulates the features of its national development, the level of pluralism, freedom of speech historically established in a given society, and the traditional degree of intervention of state and political institutions to the position of journalism. These and other factors cannot be ignored when considering the strategic prospects for the development of the globalization process in the information sphere.

Along with this, another important question is on the agenda: is it possible in the conditions of modern globalization of the information business to preserve the “face” of each national journalism? Under the influence of technological innovations, media processes in different countries are inevitably unified, affecting the content of the media. A significant amount of information enters the media through numerous news agencies, the Internet and appears unchanged on the pages of newspapers, heard on radio and television, etc.

For Russian journalism, the “problem of unification” looks complicated also due to the direct borrowing of foreign information models, which have become established today in the practice of television and individual periodicals. This was a consequence of the financing of these media by foreign capital, which, in turn, entailed borrowing, and sometimes simply copying, information approaches that were unusual for domestic perception. Russian journalists, in addition, for the most part have a rather poor understanding of the national historical experience in the field of journalism, successful substantive techniques and methods of functioning of the media that were established in pre-revolutionary and then Soviet times.

It should be recognized that a similar problem is not exclusive to Russia, but exists in many other countries whose audiences are influenced by American mass culture. Modern journalism researcher D. McVail argues that this situation creates a “cultural imbalance” in the minds of citizens of a particular society; it represents the so-called “transnationalization”, in which alien values are forcibly introduced into the minds of people. Hence the demand, sounded from time to time in public discussions of politicians, cultural figures, and journalists, about the need to develop and implement measures sanctioned by government authorities and aimed at limiting “alien” information influence. The question is raised, in particular, about maintaining quotas on foreign television programs in order to protect their information producers.

The legislation of developed foreign countries takes these requirements into account. For example, Canadian information law, which determines the development of radio and television, specifically stipulates the importance of the “national factor”. Priority is given to its own programs, and the importance of radio and television companies being owned by Canadian citizens is emphasized. In the UK, the Broadcasting Acts of 1954 and then 1990 specifically stipulated the advisability of maintaining “necessary proportions” between domestic and foreign programs that are presented to listeners and viewers. German information legislation also requires “an appropriate volume of own media production.

At the same time, documents adopted at the level of the European Parliament emphasize the importance of the free flow of information and guarantee the corresponding rights to its producers - in full accordance with the general principles of the existence and development of the individual in Western society. In the 1990s. A number of memorandums have emerged from European Community commissions that emphasize the importance of upholding liberal values in the production and transmission of information. This implies “freedom of speech without borders”, the absence of any regulation within the framework of the transfer of information at the level of European legislative institutions. How to combine this requirement with the wording of legislative acts of individual countries remains not entirely clear.

All of the above confirms that the problem of preserving the national information space in the context of globalization remains relevant. Its solution is possible not only on the basis of legislative support, but also provided that journalism itself understands the importance of following the traditions of their countries in the information sphere, which have accumulated over the entire previous period of their development.

Tradition, as a universal form and mechanism for preserving social continuity, is both a fundamental category of historical development and allows us to develop a civilizational model of national development. Tradition acts as the spiritual foundation of culture and, at the same time, the most important algorithm for preserving social values that are significant for the formation of the “face” of the nation. Tradition can also be perceived as the manifestation of certain standards (patterns) in the way of thinking and everyday actions, involving both large social groups and individuals in its orbit. Taking this into account, tradition is a carrier of social memory, which reproduces standards of behavior that have been tested by the experience of history and correspond to the needs of the further development of society.

The information environment in general and journalism in particular cannot be considered in isolation from historical reality, which leaves a significant imprint on its everyday development. The information environment is developing in full accordance with the cultural and historical experience of society and its value guidelines. This means that today, in order to generate mass interest in the media, it is necessary to take into account the traditional and established forms of their interaction with the audience. Ignoring this factor can lead to negative consequences for the existence and prospects of the media themselves.

Like any tradition that is modified depending on the specific political situation, the forms of interaction between journalism and the audience can also undergo a certain transformation as a result of changes in surrounding realities. However, it is important to take into account their typological manifestations, formed under the influence of the mentality of the nation as a very stable manifestation, little changing under the influence of specific circumstances.

The most valuable manifestation of the mentality of any society is a cultural tradition (and in practice, a set of traditions, taking into account the multidimensionality of social development), which has a serious impact on the thoughts and actions of large social groups. This tradition explicitly or implicitly encourages people to follow the moral and ethical norms and values formed in society.

One of the features of the Russian mentality has always been a kind of collectivist principle, formed under the influence of the social and living conditions of society. For this reason, only the opinions of professional journalists have never been present in the media; domestic journalism has always been strong in the formation of a “broad opinion,” which was especially clearly embodied in its content during the Soviet period. Hence the appearance of numerous letters on the pages of newspapers, special methods of interaction with readers (for example, “round tables”), etc. Today, these once stable forms of journalistic work have practically disappeared from the content of many periodicals, which, in our opinion, weakens mass interest and trust in the media.

So, in the era of globalization, the role of the mass media is increasing. First, globalization processes have provided greater opportunities for ways to access and exchange information. Secondly, mass media are adapting to a new method of control, taking into account different methods of influence, the question is raised about the consequences of the globalization of mass media.

Speaking about the problems of modern journalism in Kazakhstan, first of all it is necessary to note the relatively new “government procurement policy”, within the framework of which government agencies arrange a kind of tenders for publishing houses and television and radio companies to receive funding from the country’s budget. A study conducted in 2010, as part of the project “Monitoring government orders in the media of Kazakhstan,” showed that government orders “are still opaque, the goals of competitions are often unclear, and many private media have actually stopped developing their management, relying solely on funding through government orders.” . Also, as part of this study, it was revealed that, “according to various sources, in Kazakhstan, 50-70% of private media are recipients of state orders in the field of information policy.”

Just one of many examples of this is that the largest party media holding, Nur-Media, created at the end of 2008, is owned by the ruling Nur Otan party. It includes the Astana TV channel, the republican radio station NS and the RDV radio broadcasting in Astana, the republican newspapers Liter, Aikyn, Izvestia - Kazakhstan, Turkistan, Dala Men Kala, Country and World, "Nur Astana" and "Kazakhstan Temirzholshysy".

State orders became widespread in 2009, when funding for this area increased significantly, and due to the growing economic crisis, the number of advertisers and other sources of media funding sharply decreased, which caused a manifold increase in the influence of state policy on published materials. All this has led to the fact that at present the concept of “Independent Media” has practically ceased to exist. “If it’s independent, it means it’s oppositional. The state controls everyone else even without a state order, through the editorial board, through the owners.” According to Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, “I emphasize that the press is just a tool for the authorities. Those media that fit this vision are supported. Those that do not comply are either destroyed or the authorities do not pay any attention to them.”

A striking example of this can be problems with the timing of providing the requested information, because journalists in their actions are guided by the law “On the Mass Media,” and government organizations by the law “On the procedure for considering appeals from individuals and legal entities.” Due to the fact that information material quickly becomes outdated, a large number of “undesirable” publications simply “get stuck” in this bureaucratic red tape.

Kazakh media are increasingly turning into an information system in which the main task is to report information paid for by politicians, oligarchs, etc.

The situation is aggravated by the lack of a clear and defined information policy of the state, which leads to arbitrary assessments and actions in relation to the media, in other words, makes it possible to manipulate them.

In particular, the Law on Mass Media is not specific on some issues. Article 1, paragraph 1 states that “freedom of speech, creativity, expression in print and other forms of one’s views and beliefs, receiving and disseminating information in any way not prohibited by law are guaranteed.” Also, Article 1, paragraph 2 states that government agencies are obliged to provide every citizen with the opportunity to become familiar with documents, decisions and sources of information affecting his rights and interests. However, paragraph 3 speaks of “the prohibition on the dissemination of information constituting state secrets or a secret protected by law,” without naming the methods by which it could be determined whether this information is a secret protected by law or not.

What is even more interesting is Article 145, paragraph 1 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, according to which “No one has the right to use the image of any person without his consent, and in the event of death, without the consent of the heirs.” It turns out that a journalist must ask almost every passerby who gets into the frame for permission to use his image. But it is practically impossible to do this, which gives the authorities scope to interpret objectionable materials in their favor. And there are a great many such examples.

Regarding the rights of a journalist: in Chapter 5, paragraph 2, “Rights and responsibilities of a journalist,” it is said that a journalist has the right to be in places where government bodies are located, but must be accredited by the government bodies themselves, which means, again, , limiting the number of dissident journalists able to obtain accreditation.

This is indirectly confirmed by the results of public procurement competitions published on the website of the Ministry of Information and Communications. Thus, “a number of competitions have the same composition of participants, among which are the state publication “Kazakhstanskaya Pravda” and the publication “Liter”, controlled by the ruling Nur Otan party. At the same time, they alternately win several competitions.” Gaining access to information often becomes a real problem, especially if this information belongs to government authorities. Accreditation of only loyal media, answers to questions and requests only to “our own” or ideologically close ones, screening of “opposition” journalists is not a complete list of restrictions.

“Today, thanks to certain provisions in the law, any official or politician can sue a journalist and the media that published critical material about him, and ... will win, because often journalists do not know the law well and therefore make distortions. But even if journalists know the law, the court will still rule in favor of the official.”

In conclusion, I would like to add that the main task facing the media is to instill respect for the law and create a positive image of representatives of this law. But this must be done without going beyond objectivity.

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