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ВОЗМОЖНА ЛИ «ДЕМОКРАТИЧЕСКАЯ БИОПОЛИТИКА» ВО ВРЕМЯ ПАНДЕМИИ? АНАЛИЗ РОССИЙСКИХ, НЕМЕЦКИХ И ФРАНЦУЗСКИХ СМИ
The theoretical field of biopolitics - currently being actively developed - is used in this study as a basis for understanding the actions of governments and communities represented by state and non-state media during the Covid-19 pandemic. Media narratives about the pandemic are analyzed in the context of the biopolitical theories proposed by Michel Foucault, Georges Agamben and Carsten Schubert. It is assumed that in the neo-liberal regimes of the EU, the mass media will broadcast ideas that correspond to state biopolitical projects. Also, the study was aimed to assess the possibility of the mass media to become actors of "democratic biopolitics". To test the hypothesis, a comparative analysis of Russian, German and French media publishing materials about the pandemic during four “waves” (January 2020 - March 2022) is used. In total, 21658 texts of three Russian media (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Kommersant, Novaya Gazeta), 59149 texts of German media (Süddeutsche zeitung, Zeit, Die Tageszeitung, Deutsche Welle) and 58432 texts and French media ("Le Figaro", "Le Monde", "Le Parisien") were scrutinized. From the point of view of media theory, this study is based on the propaganda model of Herman and Chomsky, and at the instrumental level, the method of searching for “contextual ideologemes” is used. The contextual ideologeme "vaccination" plays a key role in the analysis of the media discourse of the present study. The results of the study do not support the proposed hypothesis. Russian publications tend to follow the state biopolitical agenda more consistently, no matter whether they approve or criticize the actions of the authorities, while the biopolitical strategies of the European media range from not broadcasting the biopolitical ideas of governments to consistent support and detailed educational work. As a result, we can conclude that the media, depending on the owner’s interests broadcasted through the media, become the conductors of the biopolitical agenda. The results obtained demonstrate the inconsistency and multidimensionality of "democratic biopolitics".