Countering Extremist Ideology and Media Security of the State

Abstract

National security in the media sphere is becoming a multifaceted task related to the implementation of Russia’s cultural sovereignty in the context of digital transformation. Strategic planning for the development of the national media space involves domestic political and diplomatic decisions of a conceptual nature that can ensure the unity of the international information space while countering threats: (1) propaganda of violent extremism, (2) popularization of destructive ideology, (3) reduction of cultural capital level of the party in power and opposition. Operational plans for ensuring media security quite often follow the logic of situational response to threats posed by enemies and implement protective measures in relation to the media space at the national level. In methodological terms, the media security of the state is characterized by systemic practices of ensuring information security (in formal legal analysis), and analysis of threats to cognitive and noospheric security (in the natural science study of communication processes). The research methodology involves the use of the method of participant observation inherent in noxology to classify threats emanating from the mass media. Among the main objectives of the article: analysis of modern Russian political and legal documents aimed at ensuring media security and countering extremism, characterizing the Russian policy of securitization of social problems in the media sphere, delimiting legal political struggle from criminal (extremist and destructive) practices of political communication. The objectives of the study include the analysis of foreign experience in ensuring national media security in the context of digitalization and the growing threat of violent extremism. The logic of competition in the digital cultural space practically excludes the use of secrecy, censorship and forcing the audience to watch propaganda in the process of ensuring media security. Public relations in the media sphere involves the choice of media content by the audience of the global information space, which means that the protection of national spiritual and moral values is implemented in the liberal paradigm and demands open dialogue between the party in power and the opposition on topical issues of national security.

Keywords

• sovereignty
• cognitive security
• destructive ideology
• freedom of speech
• opposition
• radicalization