Representation of a Special Military Operation in the Media of Southern Russia

Abstract

The following paper based on the analysis of the publications of six leading media outlets in the mega-region of Southern Russia, reveals the features of journalistic work related to the Special Military Operation. The total number of publications that examined by the author is within a three-month period September 2023. The media outlets were selected based on the citation indicators measured by the rating agency. Publications for the3 content analysis were selected chosen according to thematic criteria and keywords “special military operation”, “special operation in Ukraine”. The theoretical basis of the study was formed by the scientific works on agenda setting in the media and including the specifics of regional agenda. The author considered the understanding of an emergency agenda as a list of issues formulated in the media that are subject to the primary public discussion. The scientific significance of the topic mentioned in the study is due to the priority attention that the state and society pays to the armed conflict in Ukraine and medialization of the Special Military Operation as a phenomenon that determines not only the mind-set of the mass audience today, but also the future of our country.