ИСТИНА

Internet vs TV: Communicating public policy in Russia Political transformations of 1990-ies in Eastern Europe just coincided with the intensification of market-based approaches in the media in the West. Russia imported the already largely commoditized model. In the absence of any kind of a civic tradition of the functioning of free media, the result of the reception turned out extremely radical. In these circumstances, the establishment by the ruling political group of the spin-control over the major media channels of communication proved to be quite easy and the Media, especially television, became the most important instrument of political struggle and a channel of communication between government and society. The difference with regard to the public policy between those who use TV to collect political information and those who do it from Internet seemed to be obvious. Not long ago it was considered that in fact there are two parties in the country: the «TV party» and the «party of the Internet». But still digital inequality, undoubtedly existing in Russia, does not explain the phenomenon of the last year. What techniques were used to generate support for public policy? How different groups of TV-viewers behaved in the context of mass mobilization and advocacy campaign? What was the reaction of active Internet users? The paper will discuss around these questions.