The problem of implementing the cultural-forming function in the Russian media

Baranova Ekaterina Andreevna ORCID: 0000-0003-1794-9936 Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Communication Management and Relationship Management, RSSU 4 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia kat-journ@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

Bocharov Ivan Il'ich Student, Department of Communication Management and Relationship Management, RSSU; Senior Content Analyst, Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives 129226, Russia, Moscow, Wilhelm Peak str., 4 sergdvmgoncharov@yandex.ru

Introduction

An active discussion of the culture-forming function of the media began in the second half of the XX century. We can agree with S. Tulmin, who believes that the emergence of new concepts is associated with the understanding of new problems ^{[24, p.25.]}, as well as Oswald Spengler, who argued that "the need to define culture arises where a dangerous mixture of culture and lack of culture begins" ^[20]. And indeed: the need for the emergence of the concept of "culture-forming function of the media" arose as a result of understanding the negative consequences of industrialization and capitalism.

The concept of the "culture-forming function of the media" was actualized by researchers from the Frankfurt School of Sociology. It is believed that it was first mentioned in Max Horkheimer's book "The Dialectic of Enlightenment" ^[22]. The researchers of this school were extremely negative about the idea that the media should participate in the dissemination of high cultural values, because in this way the ideological basis of existing capitalist societies will be provided through the promotion of mass culture, which will lead to the suppression of individuality and will allow manipulating people's consciousness.

Domestic researchers drew attention to the problem of the culture-forming function of the media in the late 60s of the twentieth century. Joseph Dzyaloshinsky, the most prominent Soviet researcher of mass media, wrote in his work "Creative Individuality in Journalism" that the dissemination of concepts of high culture through newspapers and magazines is no less important than the dissemination of news about the economy, politics, society, and so on ^{[5, p. 60.]}.

It is worth noting that in the domestic scientific discourse, culture in the media meant not only articles and materials about culture, popular science articles, but also the publication of literary and artistic works. Thus, Vladimir Danilovich Pelt wrote in the journal "Questions of Journalism" that "literary works enrich the newspaper, enhance its impact on the reader" ^{[19, p. 109]}.

In the 80s, the textbook "Introduction to the theory of Journalism" was published in the USSR, which became the fundamental basis for studying, among other things, the functions of journalism, one of the most important authors of the manual called the culture-forming function ^{[18, p. 61]}.

Of course, today the ideas about the culture-forming function of the media have changed. This is due to the processes of digitalization and media convergence, the transformation of the media institute. "This stage has led to global changes occurring at all stages from the creation to the distribution of content, and the search for new models of media business development in a convergent environment" ^{[1, p.11]}. The trends of modern research in this area are as follows: theorists of media and mass communications agreed that the culture-forming function of the media has transformed into entertainment and it began to develop in the interests of advertisers. Media communication theorists have long been talking about the need to increase the importance of culture and cultural journalism.

In 2011, V.V. Perevalov published a textbook in which he analyzed in detail the issues of the organization of culture-forming activities of the mass media. He came to disappointing conclusions: "it is necessary to radically change all the basic principles of presenting information on the topics of artistic culture ..." The scientist noted that "the press can and should form high cultural standards, reflect diversity in the field of culture, promote access of the Russian population to high culture, inform people about events in the world of culture..." ^[17].

In 2020, Vinokurova writes that "according to the Public Opinion Foundation of September 14, 2019, cultural life in the list of interests of media consumers is only in ninth place after the topics of politics, crime and family." She notes that "the creators of the programs pay considerable attention to the entertainment direction. It is these programs that have become mandatory in the grid of any channel, displacing the rest, especially cultural and educational topics" ^{[4, p. 212]}.

In 2021, the researcher of mass communications Simons G. (Simons G.) writes: "the commercialization of mass media also reduces the quality of information and leads to a specific spread of mass culture ..." ^[23]. The information in this case, on the one hand, becomes more entertaining, and on the other hand, it turns out to be overly simplified, and often quite primitive.

In 2022, at the "VI Media Forum of Ethnic and Regional Media", the director of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, R.V. Karmanov, said that culture should be returned to the first place in the media. "The cultural agenda in the rubricator is always in last place. First politics, society, accidents, cars and culture for a snack. The journalists who are engaged in culture can be counted on the fingers." In his opinion, culture "determines consciousness", the example of Ukraine shows "its absence", as well as "how manipulations of culture lead to the events that we observe" (VI Media Forum of Ethnic and Regional Media // nazaccent.ru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nazaccent.ru/content/39220-vi-mediaforum-etnicheskih-i-regionalnyh-smi.html (Accessed: 06/17/2023).

In the context of the development of the information and ideological war between Russia and the West, the role of the media in the formation of cultural values is significantly increasing. It is directly related to ensuring national security – the most important component of the national security strategy of the Russian Federation is its state cultural policy. The problem of the cultural agenda in the domestic media should come to the fore today. "Being a part of culture, journalism is in close interaction with the socio-cultural development of society," writes researcher Lebedeva E.G. ^{[11, p.7]}. She asks a fair question: "Should His Majesty's rating rule the ball, or should journalism strive to raise the level of awareness and culture of the audience?" ^{[11, p.7]}.

It is worth noting separately that materials about culture in the media play an important role in stabilizing public sentiment. Thus, Professor M.R. Zheltukhina writes that "the tense military-political situation in Iraq was naturally reflected in the broadcast network of the country's television channels, where the volume of the cultural component is extremely small. In conditions when the country is going through the post-war years, it is very important to stabilize the public mood, and cultural programs can play an important role in this aspect" ^{[7, p. 122]}.

Another important thesis in favor of the relevance of this topic was put forward by the General Director of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, R.V. Karmanov. He writes that "culture and economy are absolutely connected. While developing the economy, culture cannot be ignored. In those regions where creative industries are developing, the quality of life is noticeably higher..." (Karmanov Media PFKI // Telegram.ru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://t.me/karmanov_media/10668 (Date of appeal: 17.06.23). And since the main supplier of information from the sphere of culture is the media, it is necessary to introduce and implement a systematic cultural policy in the field of media and mass media.

Of course, in a market economy, the culture-forming function of the media has undergone significant changes. Now journalists entertain modern consumers of information, forgetting about ideological and cultural education. And culture means concerts of stars, gossip from show business, fashion trends, but not high cultural values, not samples of world culture, and not the "golden fund" of humanity. So, previously located "on the periphery of the system of functions", advertising, reference and recreational functions are now coming to the fore: this is evidenced by the fact that the "culture" headings in the media are full of gossip from the world of stars, Hollywood premieres. The materials of these headings are not aimed at popularizing knowledge and the formation of cultural values.

Thus, one of the most important problems of our time is connected with the fact that culture in the media has ceased to be a powerful tool for the formation of the value system of society.

Research methodology

To confirm this thesis, we decided to conduct a study of the implementation of the culture-forming function in modern domestic media. Using the content analysis method, we reviewed and analyzed the materials published during the period from December 2022 to May 2023.. in the twelve most cited federal and regional media: Russian.rt.com , Gazeta.ru , Lenta.ru , 360tv.ru , Kp.ru , Tsargrad.tv , Life.ru , Mk.ru , Aif.ru , Fontanka.ru , Mosregtoday.ru ., iz.ru – it is on these sites that most Russians prefer to watch the news. "Interest in reading newspapers, magazines, listening to terrestrial radio is falling. In terms of the importance of news sources and trust in them, the Internet surpasses television in all audiences," writes M. L. Polyakov ^{[15, p.615]}. 

In total, about 1,500 materials related to the topic of "culture" in these media were analyzed. The materials were analyzed for compliance with the culture-forming function, which consists in "propaganda and dissemination of high cultural values in society, educating the masses on samples of global culture, contributing to the comprehensive humanistic development of a person" ^{[18, p.77]}. We analyzed the sites for the direct presence of such a category. We also paid attention to whether this category is on the main page; we studied in which other sections of the site, besides the "culture" heading, materials about culture are published. We considered genres and topics of materials about culture.

Reflecting on the question of the peculiarities of the coverage of the culture of Internet media, we will rely on the characteristics of online journalism given by researcher S. G. Mashkova: three main differences of online journalism: hypertextuality, interactivity and multimedia ^[13].  So, A.V. Kolesnichenko in 2023 conducted a study of the publications of the 20 most popular sites of domestic media. It turned out that "multimedia publications make up about a quarter of their content" and "audio is extremely rare, other forms of multimedia – interactive infographics, animation, timeline, etc. – are practically not used." ^{[9, p.3]}.

The authors of the work for the first time analyze the materials of cultural and educational topics published on the websites of the most cited federal and regional mass media of the Russian Federation for the period 2022-2023 in order to conclude what place is given to cultural topics in the domestic mass media today, what is their role in the formation of moral values of society in the conditions of ideological war.

In addition to the content analysis method, we used the method of in-depth interview with an expert. I.I. Bocharov conducted an interview with D.A. Kiris, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for the Development of Culture and the Preservation of the Spiritual Heritage of the OP of the Russian Federation. It discussed the main problems of the culture-forming function of modern mass media, as well as the problems of specialized publications about culture. D.A. Kiris noted that in the modern information field, the culture-forming function is performed only by the channel "Russia K" (in-depth interview of I. I. Bocharov with D.A. Kiris. 20.06.2023).

Submission of materials about culture in online media

The questions are relevant and important: in what genres to write about culture in order to convey all its diversity? How to submit news about culture to be read?

V.V. Perevalov reflects on this topic: "at first glance, it is extremely simple to publish various messages on the topics of artistic culture: a certain "cultural event" is taken, who sang, who danced, who told, you can also tell how the audience received the artists, and the material is ready. You can also "show erudition" - for example, specify the full name of a particular composer, or reveal the pseudonym of a popular DJ. But can such materials be called shaping human culture? And if "yes", what kind of culture will they form? And will such a "culture" be necessary for a person who strives for self-realization?" ^[17]

Let's not deny: there are many publications in which news about culture is presented in an interesting and creative way: "The Historian", "The Art Newspaper Russia". However, in the most quoted domestic media, which are read by the majority of citizens, the cultural agenda is covered dryly, often in the traditions of the yellow press.

Kp.ru – one of the largest domestic media resources. He is one of the leaders of the media in terms of transitions from social networks. The culture section is updated quite often: on average – from 3 to 5 news a day. Sometimes more often. There is no "culture" section in the rubric on the main page of the site. Multimedia parameter section "culture" on the website kp.ru does not match. Multimedia involves the presentation of materials in the format of audio, video, text, graphics. As an example of such material: longrid on the website rg.ru about conductor Valery Gergiev [Symphony No. 70: Valery Gergiev accepts congratulations on the occasion of the anniversary // rg.ru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://rg.ru/2023/05/02/simfoniia-70-valerij-gergiev-prinimaet-pozdravleniia-po-sluchaiu-iubileia.html.  (Date of application: 6.05.23).]. It contains both photos and videos, audio materials, as well as graphics. Of the more than 100 analyzed materials, almost 100% are articles with several photos. There are practically no longreads, large analytical materials, infographics. Materials about culture can attract the reader only with a scandalous title, but not with content and presentation.

The next important parameter is hypertextuality. "Linking" between materials in one section. "Hypertextuality gives the user the possibility of nonlinear navigation in large volumes of information" ^{[13, p.11]}. Note that this parameter is the "culture" section of the site kp.ru it fits perfectly. Practically in each of the analyzed materials there is a hyperlink to another material from the "culture" section.

Izvestia is the largest socio-political and business daily newspaper, established in January 1917. Multimedia parameter section "culture" on the website iz.ru it fits perfectly. In general, the cultural section of the Izvestia newspaper's website is distinguished by a large number of unique materials, longreads, news about academic cultural events – about 80% of the analyzed sample of such materials. Unfortunately, none of these materials got to the main page.

Hypertextuality parameter section "culture" of the site iz.ru it fits perfectly. Practically in each of the analyzed materials there is a hyperlink to another material from the "culture" section.

The culture section of the Argumenty i Fakty website is characterized by a large number of daily publications – from 10 to 20. But the quantity of materials does not mean quality. Almost all publications are short notes, which take no more than 2 minutes to read. Consequently, there is no question of any analytics, of any motivation of the readership to reason. Out of a sample of 100 materials, only about 25-30% of them are high culture news or materials about significant cultural events. It is worth noting that the materials on the site aif.ru you can comment and rate. But there are no comments under any material in the "culture" section. And almost all materials are rated "1 star".

There is no need to talk about multimedia content, since almost all of them are short news notes, which take no more than 2 minutes to read. There are practically no longrides in the "culture" section. Hypertextuality parameter section "culture" of the site aif.ru does not match. The materials very rarely contain links to other publications on this topic.

Analyzing the cultural rubricators of the most cited publications, we see that, most often, materials about culture are short news notes. It is very rare when there are longreads, large analytical articles. Even less often – reports from events.

Researchers L.R.Duskaeva and N.S.Tsvetova note that one of the features of journalistic material about culture – the transformation of the text of an artistic phenomenon into its verbal description occurs as a result of interpretation, the basis for which is an individual understanding, decoding by the critic of the system of signs and images of an artistic phenomenon ^[6].

V.V. Perevalov notes that "the world of culture is boundless and it is impossible to describe cultural events in any one journalistic genre, therefore, it is necessary to use all the variety of genres of journalism: essay, review, review, reports, notes, broadcasts" ^[17]. As the analysis shows, only a small percentage of all possible ways of covering culture are used in modern cultural rubricators. With rare exceptions, there are interviews with cultural figures. There are very few live broadcasts (only in specialized media) and reports.

It is worth paying attention to the study of Yana Belotserkovskaya. She claims that "only the media broadcasting elite culture managed to find its audience. Mass media focused on mass culture — "yellow" publications, tabloids — are in crisis, as they have nothing to oppose actively developing Internet technologies" ^{[3, p.40]}. Belotserkovskaya puts forward the thesis that now there are too many scandals, candid pictures, vulgarity on the Internet. The mass media need to look for a way to attract the reader to the "culture" category. It is necessary to work on a high-quality presentation of the material, and not to be like the base interests of the crowd.

This thesis was confirmed to the authors of the article by D.A. Kiris. He noted: "in order for people to be interested in the cultural agenda, it is necessary to write about it correctly. It is necessary to train journalists who know how to write about culture – there is a certain specificity in this, which presupposes the presence of certain knowledge. Unfortunately, journalists often do not understand what they are writing about. They don't distinguish between theaters. They cannot distinguish an opera from a musical" (I. I. Bocharov's in-depth interview with D.A. Kiris. 20.06.2023).

I would like to say separately about the interactivity parameter of modern media sites. It is worth noting that not so long ago there was an opportunity to leave comments on the websites of some federal media. Today this function has been removed. For example, until 2022, it was possible to comment on the material on the Komsomolskaya Pravda website. On the website iz.ru it is also impossible to comment and evaluate the materials. And this problem concerns not only the categories "culture". It is also impossible to be active in any other category on the media site. A.V. Kolesnichenko writes about this problem: "multimedia publications make up about a quarter of the content", and "audio is extremely rare, other forms of multimedia – interactive infographics, animation, timeline, etc. – are practically not used" ^[9].

Separately, it should be noted that the implementation of the culture—forming function of the publication depends, on the one hand, on the personality of the journalist, and on the other - on the features of the information policy of the publication as a whole ^[17].

 The main problems of the cultural agenda in the domestic media

After conducting a content analysis of materials about culture on the websites of the most quoted domestic media, we came to the conclusion that 1) samples of high, elite culture rarely come to the attention of the media. Most often, gossip, rumors, and events from the life of show business stars are replicated in materials on cultural topics. The materials appeal to the basest human feelings. For example, most of the materials on the Argumenty i Fakty website have no cultural value. This is either copyright from other sources, or materials designed solely for entertainment and written in order to make the reader click on the scandalous title: "Neighbors of Galkin and Pugacheva Castle: "Waiting in the Mud for a new master" (Neighbors of Galkin and Pugacheva Castle: "Waiting in the Mud for a new master" // aif.ru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://aif.ru/culture/person/sosedi_zamka_galkina_i_pugachevoy_zhdem_v_gryazi_novogo_barna / (Accessed: 06/18/2013)). On the website Gazeta.ru more than half of the analyzed materials are news in which gossip and rumors from the world of show business are replicated. They appeal to the base feelings of a person: "Singer Sting said that he rejuvenates with the help of tantric sex" (Газета.ги : [Electronic resource]. Singer Sting said that he rejuvenates with the help of tantric sex. URL: https://www.gazeta.ru/culture/news/2023/02/10/19707883.shtml / (Accessed: 06/19/2013)).

2) On some media sites (Rbc.ru , Tsargrad.tv ) there is no "culture" section at all. This leads to the fact that cultural news rarely gets into the field of view of the reader who visits information portals. More than 60% of the 50 analyzed site materials rbc.ru or formed fashion preferences (Rbc.ru : [Electronic resource]. Mini, printed, tight-fitting: choosing dresses for March 8. URL: https://style.rbc.ru/items/64009b729a79476586520e5e. (Date of application: 9.06.23)), or advertised something (Rbc.ru : [Electronic resource]. The magic of the Orange Ribbon: BORK's new take on gifts. URL: https://style.rbc.ru/items/63e228369a794726081d75d7 . (Date of application: 06/9.23)). The main topics of the materials are brands, shopping, money, pop culture.

Materials about culture often end up in the "poster" section. There is such a section on the website kp.ru . However, it is quite difficult to find it – you need to ask a special request. And sometimes not only announcements of cultural events are sent to this section, but also articles in which there is no scandal, sensationalism, they will not collect a large number of views. For example, the material "Exhibition "Russia, USSR in 1917 – early 1950s": unique symbols of our history" (Exhibition "Russia, USSR in 1917 – early 1950s": unique symbols of our history // kp.ru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://www.kp.ru/afisha/msk/obzory/moj-gorod/vystavka-rossiya-sssr-v-1917-nachale-1950-v-moskve/. (Accessed: 29.05.23)).

3) From the point of view of the heroes, the same surnames appear in the news about culture, famous personalities from the world of show business predominate, and there is not a word about new, young, talented artists. For example, on the website Mosregtoday.ru it is not uncommon when, next to the news about the record of a chess athlete from Shchelkovo, we see two materials about Pugacheva at once. The material "Producer Prigozhin suggested what feelings Pugacheva feels abroad" (Mosregtoday.ru : [Electronic resource]. Producer Prigozhin suggested what feelings Pugacheva feels abroad. URL: https://mosregtoday.ru/news/culture/prodjuser-prigozhin-predpolozhil-kakie-chuvstva-ispytyvaet-pugacheva-za-granitsej/.  (Date of application: 06/9.23)). almost twice as much in volume as an article about a draughtsman. And it is not entirely clear how the residents of the Moscow region are concerned about the news that "Nikolai Baskov got all his neighbors / by singing around the clock/ in the apartment" (Mosregtoday.ru : [Electronic resource]. Nikolai Baskov got all of his neighbors /by singing around the clock/ in the apartment. URL: https://news.myseldon.com/ru/news/index/282736420 . (Date of application: 06/9.23)). In this material, we also see an error in the title – the consequences of total savings on correctors ^{[2, p.158]}.

4) Culture on media sites covers large-scale events, Hollywood premieres, but rarely when news about regional festivals, achievements of creative individuals, folk crafts get into the rubricators. On the website 360tv.ru during the time period we analyzed, there was practically no material about a cultural event that would concern the average resident of Russia: There were no materials about the Balabanov exhibition in St. Petersburg, about the start of work and the schedule of screenings of the 16th International Art Festival in Sochi – although these were important cultural events. On the website Gazeta.ru . even really interesting news of academic culture are dry news notes. The heroes of "culture" are the stars of show business: Kirkorov, "Purulent", Sobchak, Pugacheva. Materials about them in most cases are gossip, rumors, obscene facts: "Kirkorov won a court against a Saratov man who was prevented from fishing" (Газета.ги : [Electronic resource]. Kirkorov won a court case against a Saratov man who was prevented from fishing. URL: https://www.gazeta.ru/culture/news/2023/02/10/19713697.shtml / (Accessed: 06/19/2013)).

5) Culture on media sites is being replaced by entertainment. A very revealing situation is when the materials about music in the "culture" section do not represent cultural significance. To the "music" section of the website Lenta.ru includes topics such as: "LGBT activists criticized Beyonce for a concert in Dubai" (Lenta.ru : [Electronic resource]. LGBT activists criticized Beyonce for a concert in Dubai. URL: https://lenta.ru/news/2023/01/24/beyonce_dubai // (Accessed: 06/19/2013)).

 Another example is the news on the website Mk.ru : "Allegrova sobbed, Kirkorov kissed: "Song of the Year" passed without Pugacheva and Rotaru" (mk.ru [Electronic resource]. Allegrova sobbed, Kirkorov kissed: "Song of the Year" passed without Pugacheva and Rotaru // URL: https://www.mk.ru/culture/2022/12/04/allegrova-rydala-kirkorov-celovalsya-pesnya-goda-proshla-bez-pugachevoy-i-rotaru.html. (Accessed: 29.05.23)). This is news from the "music" section. The media of the cyberspace era forget about the true cultural significance of events.

Today, the media needs a scandal, outrage, which "is an instrument of manipulation of consciousness: it is able to form public opinion, attitude to the object of outrage, break stereotypes and change value orientations" ^{[14, p.146]}. Associate Professor of the Department of New Media of Moscow State University M. M. Lukina writes: "conflict, along with other news values, is a generally accepted criterion for selecting an information-attractive topic and remains a mandatory element of news agendas" ^{[10, p.27]}.

Separately, I would like to note the number of publications about culture in the "Telegram Channels" of the most quoted domestic media. Attention to this messenger in the framework of the study is due to the fact that it is the most popular Internet resource among Russian youth aged 12 to 24 years. The Mediascope research company provided data according to which 69% of young people under 24 use this messenger [Named the most popular messenger among Russian schoolchildren and students. Telegram bypassed WhatsApp and YouTube for the first time // rbc.ru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://www.rbc.ru/life/news/645c7dbe9a79472c0649cef0 (Date of appeal: 11.05.23).]. They spend, on average, 53 minutes a day in Telegram.

So, in the "Telegram Channel" of the Komsomolskaya Pravda edition, out of 200 analyzed publications, only 5% - about 10 materials - are devoted to the topic of culture. Moreover, some of them are obituaries. An analysis of publications in the "Telegram Channel" of Komsomolskaya Pravda for February 22, 2023 showed that there was not a single news announcement of the opening of the large-scale exhibition "First Position. Russian Ballet". But Komsomolka pays attention to the fact that "A resident of Novosibirsk agreed to have sex at a meditation session, and then declared rape" [A resident of Novosibirsk agreed to have sex at a meditation session, and then declared rape // truekpru [Electronic resource]. URL: https://t.me/truekpru/110453 (Date of reference: 04/29.23).]. In the "Telegram Channel" of RBC, the situation is no better - out of 200 analyzed publications, materials about culture are only 2% – no more than 5 publications. The fact that the media pay more attention to negative news and scandals in their social networks is confirmed by a large-scale study by E.D. Pershina. She analyzed more than 200 thousand posts published in media groups in 2014-2018. The study showed that "the subject of incidents and a negative attitude prevail in the messages" ^{[16, p.87]}. "Most often, the media publish information about incidents on social networks. This is followed by topics such as politics, society, culture and fashion, as well as economics" ^{[16, p.87]}.

E.R. Zharovsky, conducting a study of cultural journalism in the Republic of Crimea, comes to the conclusion that local media also do not perform a culture-forming function. He argues that "the activity of Crimean journalists in creating texts needs a number of improvements – deanonymization of authorship, increased attention to the culture of other regions of Russia and other countries, expansion of the genre and title palette and an increase in the diversity of visual elements of publications" ^{[8, p.20]}.

We can conclude that the editorial offices of modern mass media are not interested in the development of cultural and educational functions. News about culture remains only on traditional sites in the "culture" sections, however, now news about culture is more actively consumed in messengers and social networks – there is no need to visit the publication's website when all the news comes in the form of notifications in the messenger. If the ways of information consumption change, then the media should adapt to these changes, and, consequently, adjust to them, including news about culture. So far, we have not observed this trend in the media.

Conclusion

Many researchers of media communications in the late 90s - early 00s noted that "it is necessary to radically change all the basic principles of presenting information on the topics of artistic culture" ^[17]. The conducted study of the state of the culture-forming function in the domestic media shows that the problem of the cultural agenda in the media does not lose its relevance.

Culture is a mechanism of transmission from generation to generation of what is not transmitted biologically: experience, values, national identity. That is why, in the context of the development of the information and ideological war between Russia and the West, the task of preserving culture in society is becoming more important than ever.

But the obstacle to this task was the mass culture generated by the West, which arose with the development of technology and mass communications in the early-mid twentieth century. Mass culture has become the most important means of penetration of American capital into other countries of the world to strengthen its own dominance. In contrast to the high, elite culture, which has always been focused on an intellectual, thinking public, mass culture consciously focuses on the "average" level of mass consumers. It is a collection of Western cultural values, phenomena, art forms and genres that have been developed and distributed on the basis of modern technologies and means of communication and information.

And it is the media that is the main tool through which mass culture penetrates into society, literally absorbing everything remarkable and unusual, leaving only the ordinary and "gray".

Any positive change in the situation with the problem of the culture-forming function of the domestic media is possible only if a planned and verified state policy in the field of media culture and information society is implemented, in which it will be possible to organize close cooperation on the one hand of the state, on the other – mass media and cultural institutions. This idea is confirmed by D.A. Kiris: "officials should understand that culture is the guarantor of the formation of the identity of the nation and, consequently, national security. There should be a logically structured editorial policy. At the moment, it is missing at the root. And the quality of publications about culture also suffers from this" (in-depth interview of I. I. Bocharov with D.A. Kiris. 20.06.2023).

It has to be stated that, taking advantage of the granted right to freedom of information transmission, media channels are filled with low-quality, often having nothing to do with genuine culture, ersatz products, the formative effect of which on society can be called nothing but, at best, antisocial, and sometimes, unfortunately, antisocial.

But it is not enough just to return cultural journalism to the first lines of search engine ranking. It is necessary that the cultural agenda in the media should cease to be a way of manipulating the consciousness of society. It is necessary that the coverage of culture in the media should be exclusively educational in nature, and not be a way of imposing views and claims. Culture, perhaps, it's time to stop separating it into a separate segment in the information environment, because at the moment, as Denis Kiris noted: "there is no consistency in the coverage of culture. There is a flow of information, which, often, does not find its viewer" (in-depth interview of I. I. Bocharov with D.A. Kiris. 20.06.2023).