Semiotic approach of strategic narrative: the news discourse of Russia’s coronavirus aid to Italy

IF 0.9 3区社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Semiotica Pub Date : 2023-12-26 DOI:10.1515/sem-2022-0020

Andreas Ventsel

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Abstract

Crucial components of strategic communication include the audience, which plays a decisive role in how any conflict plays out. Strategic narratives are seen as means by which political actors attempt to construct a shared meaning of international politics to shape the behaviour of domestic and international actors. The article analyzes the news discourse of the Russian media sources RT, Pervyj Kanal, and NTV on Russia’s coronavirus aid to Italy in spring 2020. In the context of media coverage, some methodological questions arise: How should the intentional structuring of narratives, targeting of audiences, and the manipulative intentions of the strategic actor be studied? For this purpose, the article combines strategic narrative theory with Umberto Eco’s concepts of the Model Reader and the Model Author. Analysing the aims and intentionality of the strategic narratives, we postulate the Model Reader as an analytical category that organizes the study of the audience’s interpretation process. The function of the Model Reader is to actualize the codes and intertextual references that the author has strategically planned in the news message, in order to achieve the geopolitical aims of the strategic narratives in question. The analysis of constructing the Model Reader and the Model Author of strategic narratives is complemented by Greimas’ semiotic theory of the narrative and the composition principles of Lotman’s discrete/non-discrete texts.

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战略叙事的符号学方法：俄罗斯援助意大利冠状病毒的新闻话语

战略传播的关键要素包括受众，受众在任何冲突的发展过程中都起着决定性作用。战略叙事被视为政治行为体试图构建国际政治共同含义以塑造国内和国际行为体行为的手段。文章分析了俄罗斯媒体 RT、Pervyj Kanal 和 NTV 关于俄罗斯 2020 年春季向意大利提供冠状病毒援助的新闻话语。在媒体报道的背景下，出现了一些方法论问题：应如何研究叙事的有意结构、受众定位以及战略行动者的操纵意图？为此，文章将战略叙事理论与翁贝托-艾柯（Umberto Eco）的 "模范读者"（Model Reader）和 "模范作者"（Model Author）概念相结合。通过分析战略叙事的目的和意图，我们将 "模范读者 "假设为一个分析范畴，用以组织对受众解释过程的研究。模范读者 "的功能是实现作者在新闻信息中战略规划的代码和互文参照，以实现相关战略叙事的地缘政治目标。格雷马斯的叙事符号学理论和洛特曼的离散/非离散文本构成原则对构建战略叙事的 "模范读者 "和 "模范作者 "的分析进行了补充。

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来源期刊

Semiotica Multiple-

CiteScore

1.30

自引率

37.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Semiotica, the Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies, founded in 1969, appears in five volumes of four issues per year, in two languages (English and French), and occasionally in German. Semiotica features articles reporting results of research in all branches of semiotic studies, in-depth reviews of selected current literature in this field, and occasional guest editorials and reports. From time to time, Special Issues, devoted to topics of particular interest, are assembled by Guest Editors. The publishers of Semiotica offer an annual prize, the Mouton d"Or, to the author of the best article each year. The article is selected by an independent international jury.