Personification of presidential power in Russia in the media space (based on the results of research from the first decade of the 21st century)

The goal of this article is to illustrate the process of the personalization of presidential power in Russia within the media space based on the results of research from the first decade of the 21st century. The object of the study is presidential power. The subject of the study is the personalization of presidential power in Russia within the media space. The methodological basis of the research includes comparative analysis, event analysis, and the historical method. The research methods include a quantitative content analysis conducted by the author on two socio-political periodical publications, as well as an analysis of the speeches of two Russian presidents – V. V. Putin (2004) and D. A. Medvedev (2008). The scientific novelty of the research lies in the results obtained, which show that in the media space, presidential power in Russia is presented in a personalized manner. The media, in their publications, pay particular attention not so much to the institutional foundations of presidential power as to the personality of the president. On the one hand, the media provide politically important information to the public about the president and his activities; on the other hand, it is this information that influences public consciousness. The main emphasis in media publications is on the personality of the president. The materials of the article have practical value for identifying problems and contradictions in the field of public administration in Russia and will also be of interest to political scientists, sociologists, conflictologists, political technologists, and consultants.