Challenges to the mediatization of religion in Russia: towards a normative model

V.M. Khroul

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Considering the development of religious media in Russia over the past decades, the author notes the low research interest in this area and analyzes two main problems of religious media. The first is deeply rooted in the peculiarities of post -- communist religiosity-mostly nominal rather than practical, and the second problem is related to the low influence of religious values on the Russian media system in general and on Russian television in particular. The value dialogue in the country faces three common problems: a) low level of value agreement; b) a low level of articulation of religious values and c) a low culture of public dialogue. Supporting the call of the British scientist N. Cowdrey to promote and discuss normative models, the author offers a normative model for optimizing the dialogue between religious institutions and the media based on the concept of "pluralism -- dialogue -- consensus" by Y. Habermas. The proposed model focuses on the basic principles of transparency and the presence of clearly defined religious values in the public sphere and assumes certain expectations from religious institutions and journalists. Operationalization of the model to the level of empirical indicators could become a tool, a matrix, a checklist for assessing the current state of the dialogue between religion and the media, as well as public dialogue in general.

Keywords: religious media, mediation of religion, Russia, religious identity, public dialogue, consensus, normative model

Вызовы медиатизации религии в России: в поисках нормативной модели

В.М. Хруль

Московский государственный университет имени М.В. Ломоносова

Ключевые слова: религиозные СМИ, медиация религии, Россия, религиозная идентичность, общественный диалог, консенсус, нормативная модель

The historical analysis of the religious media in Russia explicitly shows two stages: a) rapid development of all religious media (1990--1997) and b) their stratification after the division in 1997 into so-called “traditional” (Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist) and “non-traditional”(Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, new religious movements and others). The most “traditional” Orthodox media enjoyed were favored by the state (on national and regional levels), some of “non-traditional” religious media decided to choose the strategy of “self-silencing”.

The current situation on Russian TV is a permanent source of concern for many people in Russia, often expressed publicly in media and academic discourse [20; 21]. But the initial public debate about the necessity of institutional social control over Russian TV programs was raised by religious organizations and then supported by other groups of civil society. Social control means social processes by which the behavior of individuals, groups or social institutions are regulated according to normative models of expected accountability. Social control, as such, is an essential instrument for the maintenance of social order and for ensuring the mutual accountability of social institutions.

A Public Council for Morality on TV was proposed by the Club of Orthodox Journalists in November 2007 and its launching finally failed in 2010. The main point of voices “contra” was a “phobia” of the renewal or rebirth of strong ideological control over media endured in the USSR [7]. Within the frames of public debates over the idea for Public Council for Morality, the major objections refer to practical questions, while the main obstacles significantly complicating the essence and sense of future activity of the council have not been articulated yet. Surely the presence of obstacles in such a society as Russia's calls the principles of establishing such a council problematic. There is a set of problems that seem significant in the analysis of the possibility of realization of the “Public Council for Morality on TV” project.

Axiological problem: values consensus in Russian society. In a multi-normative society in which different values and normative models caused by poly-confessional and polyethnic social structure coexist and which would be affected by other factors of diversity, the activity of any council for morality would be successful only if there would be a critical level of agreement of what is “good” and what is “bad”.

Evaluative problem: silent religions. Religions should be the main participants of social dialogue in the moral sphere accumulating and articulating value judgments rooted in fundamental normative models (such as of Torah, the Bible, Qur'an, etc.) used in different situation of modern practice and activity. The problem is that there is no system of “moral monitoring” of events and phenomena of social life in media and public sphere made by Russian religious leaders. Even the voice of the most powerful of sources and opportunities and theoretically the most united community in modern Russia -- the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) -- is not heard regularly and systematically. The Church gives estimations in anаd hoc manner -- when some scandalous and extremely immoral thing happens. As it was, for instance, with the “The Last Temptation of Christ” film release, with the concert of pop-singer Madonna crucifying herself on a cross, “Pussy Riot” punk prayer in Moscow Cathedral, etc.

There is no regular production and distribution of morally evaluated judgments of TV production and wider enunciation of diverse socially significant problems and situations made by the ROC. Moreover, as a former press officer of the ROC, priest Vladimir Vigilyanskiy, said that the Moscow Patriarchate did not plan to establish the structures for regular moral evaluation of cinema and TV production like ones created by Roman Catholic Church. Meanwhile at the Catholic Bishops Conference in the USA and in some Catholic countries there are special institutions constantly monitoring of cultural life (primarily monitoring the film and television industry) and publishing list of the main events and news of this or that sphere with reviews every week. From time to time Muslim leaders also publish the texts of normative and value contents -- fatwa -- actualizing dogma in the social sphere. The aim of such an activity on the field of TV consumption is to support believers in making decision of what is worth seeing and what is not. These cases might also be found in other religions.

“Today Russian society wants to hear the Church voice on some sharp and crucial questions, actual for every citizen. Such as corruption, the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections, social instability, ethnic tensions.Effectiveness of public participating in combating social ills, such as alcoholism and drug addiction. Both society and the journalistic community wait some honest, poignant and even undiplomatic answers from the Church. The readiness of the Church to such open discussion will determine the degree of credibility to the Church”, -- suggested Zhosul [8. P. 12].

Communicative problem: corrupted social dialogue. If the moral monitoring of current events and facts does have a place, if “leading light” works properly it would be possible to speak about an articulated dialogue ofvalue systems within the framework ofconstructing a normative model. In particular communication about moral norms and their implementation for codifying facts and events in society is a fundamental and necessary condition for formation of a balanced broadcasting policy.

Finally, after examining religious media in Russian context, we found out that the mediatization of religion here faces 1) ignorant to ethics and social accountability media practitioners, 2) normatively disoriented audience with low level of media literacy and religious practice and 3) predominantly secular public sphere with problems in social dialogue processing.

The recent tensions between religions and media professionals brings us towards the elaboration of the normative model of the interaction. As British scholar Nick Couldry mentioned during the International Communication Association conference in Seattle (22--26 May, 2014), the ethical emptiness of mainstream media “calls to the models of normative debate”.

The proposed normative model presumes certain expectations from the religious institutions and media professionals at all three stages (pluralism -- dialogue -- consensus, see table).

1. Religion in the information field of Russian mass media / edited by L. V. Kashinskaya, M. M. Lukina and L. L. Resnyanskaya; Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Journalism, Moscow, 2002.

2. Khroul V. Religion and Media in Russia: Functional and Ethical Perspectives. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012.

3. Amialchenia A. Christian Media After Socialism: Major Trends// Khroul V (Ed.). Religious Impacton Journalistic Cultures. Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2014. Pp. 16-20.

4. Luchenko K. Orthodox Online Media on Runet: History of Development and Current State of Affairs in Digital Icons: Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media. 2015. No. 14. Pp. 123-132.

5. Zhukovskaya E. The Russian Orthodox Church in the Media Sphere: Information Management// Khroul V Christianity in Media: Central and Eastern European perspective. Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2016. Pp. 9-16.

6. Luchenko K. Orthodox Internet. Reference guide. Moscow: Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2006.

7. Khroul V. Initiatives of TV Ethics Control by Religions in Russia: Challenges for the Implementation// Religion in Eastern Europe. 2010. Vol. XXX. No. 1.

8. Zhosul E. Orthodox Christianity and Mass Media after Socialism// Khroul V. (Ed.). Religious Impacton Journalistic Cultures. Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2014. Pp. 9-13.

9. Ivanitsky V. L. Modernization of journalism. Methodological etude. Moscow: MSU Publishing House, 2010.