Countermanipulation as the way to counter language manipulation in mass media

Information and processes related to information processing today play one of the key roles in the current stage of society’s development. Information is a significant tool of influence in the world. The impact on the addressee in modern society occurs through the use of various communication channels. The mass media today represent one of the most important sources of forming ideas about the world. Being subjected to various political, economic, social, cultural and other factors, the media turn from an instrument of broadcasting information into an instrument of informational and psychological influence on the mass consciousness of society. The development of mass media in this context actualizes the problem of manipulation of the addressee. Currently, a huge amount of scientific research is devoted to the problem of manipulative influence on the consciousness of the audience. Language, a primary tool of the media, can become an instrument for influencing the addressee when subjected to various distortions. Research papers devoted to the problem of language manipulation are widely represented in the scientific community of domestic and foreign linguists and other researchers. In contrast to manipulation, countermanipulation is mentioned and considered only by a few researchers. The difficulty in defining the concept of “countermanipulation” leads to difficulties in its interpretation and the lack of a single definition of this concept in the works of Russian researchers. Foreign studies have noted the absence of the concept of “countermanipulation” and its replacement by the similar concept of “counteraction”, which in English is expressed through the term “counteract”. That is why the urgency of the problem of countering the manipulative nature of the media remains especially important these days. This article examines the problem of countermanipulation as a way to counteract linguistic manipulation in the media. The research is aimed at examining the main criteria for verifying the reliability of information in the fight against linguistic manipulation in modern media. Recommendations are also provided as counteraction or countermanipulation measures.

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