Pan-Art Pedagogy. Theory & Practice Philology. Theory & Practice Manuscript

Archive of Scientific Articles

ISSUE:    Philology. Theory & Practice. 2026. Volume 19. Issue 8
COLLECTION:    Germanic Languages

All issues

License Agreement on scientific materials use.

Classification of manipulative strategies and tactics in English-language political media discourse (based on publications dedicated to the representation of BRICS)

Dmitry Nikolaevich Katargulov
Saint Petersburg University
Submitted: August 28, 2026
Abstract. The aim of this study is to identify the mechanisms of manipulative influence in English-language political media discourse based on Fox News publications representing BRICS in the period from 2020 to 2026. The article systematizes these mechanisms through an integrative classification model reflecting the interrelation between macro-strategies, strategies, tactics, and the linguistic markers of their actualization; compares Russian and international approaches to the study of manipulative influence in political media discourse; clarifies the relationship between the concepts of macro-strategy, strategy, tactic, and linguistic marker/actualizer; and proposes an integrative classification model tested on a corpus of Fox News publications devoted to the representation of BRICS. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the first systematic distinction between discrediting and legitimation as the principal macro-strategies of manipulative influence in the selected corpus. In addition, theatricalization is reconceptualized not as an independent macro-strategy but as an accompanying mechanism of the pragmatic intensification of media messages. The findings demonstrate that the macro-strategy of discrediting predominates in the English-language political media discourse on BRICS. It is primarily realized through ideological polarization, threat construction, negatively evaluative lexis, epistemic modality, and metaphorization. By contrast, the macro-strategy of legitimation is mainly implemented through rationalization, authorization, solidarization, and appeals to international norms and values. The findings contribute to a more systematic understanding of the mechanisms of manipulative influence in political media discourse and expand the possibilities for their comprehensive linguistic description.
Key words and phrases:
политический медиадискурс
манипулятивное воздействие
макростратегия дискредитации
макростратегия легитимации
репрезентация БРИКС
political media discourse
manipulative influence
macro-strategy of discrediting
macro-strategy of legitimization
representation of BRICS
Reader Open the whole article in PDF format. Free PDF-files viewer can be downloaded here.
References:
  1. Иссерс О. С. Коммуникативные стратегии и тактики русской речи: монография. Изд-е 5-е. М.: Лучшие компьютерные игры, 2008.
  2. Клюев Е. В. Речевая коммуникация. М.: ПРИОР, 1998.
  3. Михалёва О. Л. Политический дискурс: специфика манипулятивного воздействия: монография. М.: Либроком, 2009.
  4. Недзельская А. Б., Борискина О. О. Манипулятивные стратегии в англоязычном медиапространстве // Вестник Воронежского государственного университета. Серия: Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация. 2021. № 2.
  5. Солопова О. А., Кошкарова Н. Н. Метафорический образ БРИКС в медиадискурсе ЮАР: корпусное исследование // Russian Journal of Linguistics. 2025. Т. 29. № 4. https://doi.org/10.22363/2687-0088-45863
  6. Филинский А. А. Критический анализ политического дискурса предвыборных кампаний 1999-2000 гг.: дисс. … к. филол. н. М., 2002.
  7. Шейгал Е. И. Семиотика политического дискурса: монография. М.: Гнозис, 2004.
  8. Bilandzic H., Kalch A., Kinnebrock S., Buchner B., Kollar I., Schuller B. Discursive resilience // Datenschutz und Datensicherheit – DuD. 2024. Vol. 48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11623-024-1927-9
  9. Carvalho G. de, Gruzd S., Wu Y.-Sh. The BRICS expanded: Shaped by – or shaping – the global order? // South African Journal of International Affairs. 2025. Vol. 32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10220461.2025.2525312
  10. Dijk T. A. van. Discourse and manipulation // Discourse & Society. 2006. Vol. 17. No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926506060250
  11. Hansson S., Page R. Corpus-assisted analysis of legitimation strategies in government social media communication // Discourse & Communication. 2022. Vol. 16. No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1177/17504813221099202
  12. Jungherr A., Rauchfleisch A. Negative downstream effects of alarmist disinformation discourse: Evidence from the United States // Political Behavior. 2024. Vol. 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-024-09911-3
  13. Leeuwen T. van. Legitimation in discourse and communication // Discourse & Communication. 2007. Vol. 1. No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481307071986
  14. Mak M. K. F., Li M., Rojas H. Social media and perceived political polarization: Role of perceived platform affordances, participation in uncivil political discussion, and perceived others’ engagement // Social Media + Society. 2024. Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051241228595
  15. Reyes A. Strategies of legitimization in political discourse: From words to actions // Discourse & Society. 2011. Vol. 22. No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926511419927
  16. Santos A., Cazzamatta R. Who shapes mediated conversations among rising global powers? Examining news geography, authorship, and media sources within the BRICS framework // The International Journal of Press/Politics. 2025. Vol. 30. No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241269835
  17. Treuillier C., Castagnos S., Lagier C., Brun A. Gaining a better understanding of online polarization by approaching it as a dynamic process // Scientific Reports. 2024. Vol. 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58915-w
All issues


© 2006-2025 GRAMOTA Publishing