Evaluative models of the image of Russia in the American social consciousness: sociophilosophical analysis

Introduction. The interest of researchers in studying the features of the axiological modification of the image of Russia in foreign media is due to the growing conflict political situation around our country. The purpose of this article is to determine the specifics of evaluative modeling of Russia’s image in the American media in a situation of a deepening crisis in relations between countries. The specificity of media discourse lies in the fact that its creator directly addresses the public, which makes it possible to fully realize the function of influence, including manipulative, by choosing certain methods of presenting and evaluative coloring (for example, metaphorization of an image) of information that determines its perception and evaluation addressee. Results. The main conclusion regarding the presentation of the image of Russia in the American media selected for analysis is that most of the American media discourse is united in creating a negative image of Russia. The media texts clearly show bias in positioning our country as a dangerous, insidious and aggressive state in which an authoritarian style of government is implemented. This attitude is expressed in the key metaphorical constructs (“monarchy”, “theater”, “war”, “game”, “beast”, “crime”) identified in the course of the study, the regular reproduction of which in the Western media reinforces the “black” image of our countries in the minds of the audience.