Sociological concepts in the materials of Russian media

Russian media actively utilize the achievements of modern sociological science, enriching media discourse with scientific concepts. It is believed that the collaboration between journalism and sociology can enhance the quality of the former, as well as its credibility and objectivity. The subject of this article is the sociological concepts conveyed by Russian media. The relevance of addressing this topic is underscored by the fact that many concepts in sociological science are contentious. In sociological literature, it is customary to distinguish between scientific and everyday concepts. Both types can equally be found in the media. The aim of this article is to clarify the specifics of the use of sociological concepts by journalists in the materials of contemporary Russian media and to justify the necessity of enhancing the sociological culture of journalists during their training in higher education institutions. The methodological foundation of the article consists of the ideas of several well-known sociologists regarding the interpretation of sociological concepts. The empirical basis of the work included materials from leading online media in Russia: kommersant.ru, lenta.ru, mk.ru, and ria.ru. Content analysis and traditional (classical) analysis of individual journalistic materials were used as methods for collecting empirical information. The article analyzes the practice of using sociological concepts by Russian journalists using the concept of "middle class" as an example. The study revealed that in the surveyed media, the middle class is presented as a real existing social group. Journalists typically describe it in economic and political contexts. The novelty of the work lies in the conclusion that journalists from the surveyed outlets tend to use everyday rather than scientific concepts when describing the middle class. Accordingly, journalists do not so much reflect reality as generate illusory perceptions of the surrounding world among the audience. The article raises the question of the necessity to strengthen the sociological training of future journalists and to study the basic sociological concepts more deeply within academic sociology courses.

sociological concept, scientific concept, lay conception, mass media, sociology of journalism, middle class, journalist, audience, empirical research, academic discipline