Issue

Content:

• Theory of Journalism and Media

  «Functions of journalism: traditional and new approaches»

  The article examines classical and modern approaches to defining the functions of journalism. It draws on both fundamental works on the theory and sociology of journalism, as well as recent studies of the changing role and place of journalism within the context of the transformation of the Russian media system. The author systematizes and expands upon established ideas about the roles and functions of journalism, rethinking them in light of these changes. The author analyzes the functions of journalism in scientific articles published in top 5 Russian journals and identifies the “space of functions” and the subject areas directly related to journalism in the most cited textbooks. The author concludes that journalism’s functions can be attributed to a multifunctional system that meets the primary (social institutions) and secondary (mass audience) needs. Recognizing the complexity and diversity of research approaches to journalism’s functions, the author aims to overcome the haphazardness and inconsistencies associated with terminology and definitions, as well as the lack of clarity in articulating the need for journalism to fulfill its functions in an interconnected and complex world.
  Keywords: media theory, media sociology, journalism functions, journalism theory
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.330
  Elena L. Vartanova 3

• «Factors of transformation of the functional model of a modern newspaper»

  The article analyzes the transformation of the newspaper as a public institution. It is posing a number of research questions. Is newspaper really turning into a media atavism, having lost its relevance and exhausted the social functions that it has performed for centuries? Is newspaper crisis only the first stage of the crisis of journalism and the media? Does this process take place without serious losses for society as a whole? It is noted that the trends occurring in connection with the radical transformations of the structure, nature and functions of newspaper periodicals require an understanding of the current tasks and place of the newspaper in modern society. The article provides data from a survey of newspaper journalists on how they understand their mission. The results showed the orientation of journalists towards public service, meeting the broad information requirements of society and the interests of the audience. It is pointed out that successful integration into the digital space, alongside with the preservation of key functions, should allow the sustainable format of newspapers to retain its immanent features both in print and digital form, along with other institutions, to continue to play a constructive role in further social development.
  Keywords: newspaper, public institution, functions, journalist’s mission, digitalization
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.3151
  Olga V. Smirnova 31
• Sociology of Journalism

  «Sociological school of mass communication studies at the Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University: formation and developmentSociological school of mass communication studies at the Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University: formation and development»

  This article provides a retrospective overview of the development of the sociological school of media studies at the Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University, covering the period from the mid-1960s to the present day (2024). Based on an analysis of scientific works and publications of faculty researchers, the thematic scope has been systematized and key areas of studies utilizing sociological methodology and tools have been identified, as well as the dynamics of the sociological discourse in faculty research over the past 60 years in response to transformations in the social and communication environment are demonstrated. Within the framework of the sociological direction of media research, its core, periphery and mobile components are highlighted. The evolution of research discourse – from the sociology of journalism to the sociology of mass communications and the mediasociology (the sociology of mass media and mediacommunications) – is noted.
  Keywords: journalism, mass media, mass communications, media, mediacommunications, sociology
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.5297
  Viktor P. Kolomiets , Irina A. Poluekhtova 59

• «Professional journalistic culture in the space of academic research: experience of structuring and systematizing»

  The paper introduces several related areas of sociological empirical research aimed to study representatives of the Russian journalistic community. The article considers the question about the composition and structure of the professional culture of a journalist as a phenomenon of public order, highlights the characteristic directions of transformations taking place in the thesaurus of modern research of the journalistic community, presents changes in the structure and content of the basic definition of the phenomenon of professional journalistic culture. Based on empirical research materials, the possibilities of expanding the concept of “professional culture of a journalist” by including an analysis of professional development trajectories and evaluating the success of journalistic activities are shown. The indicators of various types of success in journalism (success-popularity, recognition, overcoming and self-overcoming, mission) are presented. The connection between the social nature of journalism and the understanding of journalism as a special social institution with the need to include the sociological culture of a journalist in the model of professional culture is demonstrated. A review of the empirical research experience of representatives of the Moscow school of media sociology confirms the need to improve the sociological knowledge and skills of modern journalists.
  Keywords: journalist, sociological imagination, sociological culture of a journalist, professional culture of a journalist, journalistic culture
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.98114
  Maria E. Anikina 98

• «Media consumption as a field of interdisciplinary analysis»

  The paper examines the current provisions of media theory, the nature of which is increasingly described through the analysis of media consumption as a sociocultural practice; theoretical approaches describing the dynamics of the development of a society in which media communications have acquired the properties of a social system and transformed ideas about society; theoretical approaches to the language of media as a key tool for constructing social experience through mediatization. The article emphasizes the need for cognitive research of the media audience (within the framework of cognitive linguistics and psychology) to verify media effects, which will deepen the understanding of the process of media consumption and its impact, as well as contribute to the further conceptualization of media consumption as a socio-cultural practice within the framework of interdisciplinary analysis. A holistic approach to the analysis of media consumption is proposed, which integrates sociological, linguistic and media research perspectives for a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of media on society.
  Keywords: media studies, media theory, social system, cognitive research, media language, media effects
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.115135
  Denis V. Dunas 115

• «Mediatized trauma: theoretical and methodological foundations for research»

  In this article, the authors aim to explore the concept of “mediatized trauma,” including the conditions for its emergence and its manifestations. The scientific literature establishes a consistent link between media consumption of potentially traumatic content—such as disasters, terrorist attacks, and wars—and the manifestation of anxiety, post-traumatic symptoms, and other negative consequences in audiences. The development of online platforms has qualitatively transformed modern media consumption, granting audiences unlimited access to potentially traumatic content. Consequently, studying the emergence and dynamics of mediatized trauma in the context of deep mediatization is highly significant. The authors conducted eight expert interviews with specialists in psychological trauma. According to the interviewed psychologists, mediatized trauma, in terms of its occurrence and subsequent development, can be classified as a form of “witness trauma.” Informational visual content exerts a powerful influence on the psyche and holds significant potential for traumatization. The degree of audience trauma depends largely on how the content creators construct the video sequence and the meanings embedded in it. Additionally, the level of traumatization varies according to the “psychological profile” of the individual, including their psychological resilience and preparedness. The manifestations of mediatized trauma closely resemble those of unmediated trauma, characterized by heightened anxiety, insomnia, emotional agitation, and a diminished sense of security and control over one’s life.
  Keywords: mediatized trauma, psychology of trauma, media, journalism, tragedy coverage
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.136157
  Andrei V. Vyrkovsky, Maria A. Krasheninnikova, Jeyhun Z. Mamedov 136
• Media Economics

  «Media holdings as subjects of the media system of the Russian Federation: experience of complex research»

  The article presents the results of the study, which formed the basis of the dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philology in the specialty 5.9.9. – Media communications and journalism. The author summarizes the work done and outlines further prospects for the development of the scientific topic. The main results of the study were previously published in the form of individual articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and a monograph. The purpose of this work is to form a holistic verified idea of the functioning of Russian media holdings in the existing economic, technological, legal and political conditions. The basic scientific problem is that such complex entities of the national media system as media holdings do not yet have a full-fledged conceptual and categorical description reflecting the various aspects and consequences of their activities.
  Keywords: media holding, media group, media system, concentration, media market, index, model
  DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2024.158191
  Sergey S. Smirnov 158