Mass media in the context of interaction between the state and civil society in the information sphere

This paper is devoted to the analysis of the role of governmental and non-governmental mass media in the functioning of public relations. The actuality of this theme is due to the problem of the formation of civil society in the new democracies. The aim of this publication is functional comparison of governmental and non-governmental mass media, and coverage of their functions in the context of interaction between the state and civil society. The methodology of this study is based on a comparative analysis of the social functionality of governmental and non-governmental media. The authors distinguish the main differences between governmental and non-governmental media, which are the differences between their founders, forms of ownership, sources of funding, editorial control and the implementation of social functions. They note that governmental and non-governmental media perform the same social functions, the most important of which are informational, communication, adaptation, agitation, mobilization, integration, control. However, in governmental and non-governmental media, these functions have different connotations. Governmental media operate in the information space of the country from the standpoint of the state, while non-governmental ones operate from the standpoint of civil society. Instead, the activity of governmental media is aimed at civil society, and the activity of non-governmental media is aimed at the state. The main aim of governmental media activity is to form socio-political support for authorities. The most important tasks of the non-governmental media are to bring to the attention of the authorities the problems that concern civil society, to inform the government about the needs, interests and desires of citizens. The relationship between governmental and non-governmental media is determined by the nature of the political regime. The more democratic political regimes cause the greater role of non-governmental media in regulating of public relations. The novelty of this work is that its authors try not to oppose the functions of governmental and non-governmental media, as was the case in previous publications on this topic, but to show the specifics implementation by them of the same functions. The practical significance of the work is due to the fact that it opens a new direction in the study of the problem of interaction of the media with the state and civil society.