POLITICAL NARRATIVE AS A TOOL OF INFLUENCE

The article examines the political narrative as an interdisciplinary phenomenon studied within political science, linguistics, sociology, and media studies. Drawing on the works of F. Jameson, N. Fairclough, S. Shenhav, W. Fisher, M. Edelman, and Ukrainianscholars I. Brovarska and S. Zhabotynska, the study outlines key conceptual approaches to analyzing political narratives as tools for shaping public consciousness. The empirical base comprises 301 headlines from The New York Times related to Ukraine, published between May 2024 –January 2024 and April 2025 –January 2025. M. Edelman’s typology of narratives (legitimizing, mobilizing, interpretative) was applied to categorize the content. The study identifies linguistic markers used to construct specific political narratives, defines their social functions, cognitive-emotional impact. The paper emphasizes the significance of headlines as a powerful instrument of political communication and the formation of public discourse on Ukraine.