Information on the thesis

A thesis for a candidate degree in social communications, specialty 27.00.04 – theory and history of journalism. – Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. – Lviv, 2016.

In the thesis, for the first time the modern Ukrainian press has been researched in the context of defining geopolitical strategy of Ukraine.

In the historical paradigm key provisions, preconditions of geopolitical strategy of Ukraine (political, economic, cultural) offered by the modern Ukrainian press have been disclosed. By the example of the analysis of newspaper materials it has been found out that the modern press considers geopolitical strategy of Ukraine as a problem of choosing a clear vector of the state’s development in geopolitics, European or Russian. Special attention has been devoted to two crucial events of modern state building process: Orange Revolution (2004–2005) and the Revolution of Dignity (2013–2014) which became indicators of actualisation of geo-strategic subject matter in modern Ukrainian press. The dynamics in appearance of materials on geo-strategic issues in the Ukrainian press during the 2000–2014 shows that it is at the revolutionary events when the interest of the press in the issue of state’s geopolitical positioning increases. Due to this, the dynamics of representation of problematic aspects in geopolitical positioning of Ukraine in the press has been revealed; change of emphasis in the interpretation of these aspects has been outlined.

The main factors of geo-strategic issues’ functioning in the press and the role of press as the mythmaker of visions of geopolitical strategy have been highlighted and explained. Among other factors, special attention has been paid to the factor of Russian information policy towards Ukraine, which is a threat to informational and national security in general. Based on the review and the analysis of the factors, certain regularities in the functioning of geo-strategic issues in press have been outlined. Also the term “geo-strategic issues” has been defined.

Conceptual and semantic load of geo-strategic topics in the context of representing concepts “Europe” and “Russia” as constituents of the paradigm of two ways of geopolitical development of Ukraine – pro-European and pro-Russian integration has been structured. Conceptual and semantic structure of geo-strategic subjects in Ukrainian press on the basis of the concepts “Russia” and “Europe” which have certain options and categories has been outlined. It has been found out that during 2000–2014 modern Ukrainian press designed two paradigms of geo-strategic issues: “Ukraine-Europe”, “Ukraine-Russia”, the latter of which failed to construct and legitimize the perception of the concept “Ukraine” within the context of the concept “Russia”. According to the thematic parameters of concepts “Russia” and “Europe”, thematic binary oppositions, theme-lines, content ideologemes, modal categories, semantic load have been singled out.

Key words: modern Ukrainian press, geopolitical strategy, geopolitical positioning, geo-strategic perspective, integration, concept, myth-making, the editorial policy.