Media Context of the Judiciary’s Information Policy

The article analyzes the practice of implementation of the Concept of Information Policy of the Judicial System of the Russian Federation for 2020–2030, primarily the provisions concerning the media representation of judicial activity and interaction of courts with the media. The objectives of the information policy of the judicial system are primarily to ensure transparency of justice, i.e. objective, reliable and prompt informing of citizens about the activities of the courts, as well as creating a positive image of the judicial system in public opinion. The achievement of these goals and the solution of the tasks set out in the Concept is hindered by an objective contradiction between the need to provide the public with timely, complete and reliable information on court cases and, on the other hand, the desire of judges to avoid excessive publicity, to protect personal data and the privacy of litigants. Analysis of the media resources of the Russian judicial system (official websites of the courts of the constituent entities of the Federation, court accounts in social networks) allows us to conclude that court employees have a formal, uniform approach to the dissemination of a limited segment of information (as a rule, official). In the absence of press services in the courts and the lack of appropriate training of the staff responsible for media relations, their underestimation of constructive interaction with professional journalists leads to unsatisfactory public awareness of cases considered by the courts. The possibilities of the Internet are not fully used, which does not contribute to the popularity and attendance of the courts' information resources. The author proposes the following ways to improve the quality and effectiveness of information about the activities of the courts, such as development of Internet resources, e.g. release of popular online publications, creation of high-quality content on YouTube channels of the courts, necessary for the formation of their positive image in public opinion. It has been established that minimization of the “scandalization of justice” is possible with the help of competent PR of the judicial system and well-established cooperation of judicial press services with professional journalists.