MILITARY CORRESPONDENT DMITRY STESHIN: FROM THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR TO THE “HOLY MILITARY OPERATION”

The article attempts to trace the creative path of Dmitry Steshin, one of the most famous war correspondents in modern Russia, a reporter for Komsomolskaya Pravda, whose works have already become part of the history of Russian journalism. By systematizing the facts of D. A. Steshin’s creative biography and analyzing his publications, the article reveals the specific professional attitudes developed by the war correspondent. Steshin’s work demonstrates a tendency towards mastering larger genres such as essays and essay series. In addition, D. A. Steshin’s work is largely based on the literary tradition of the publicists of the Great Patriotic War. This is evident in his high level of civic engagement and patriotic motivation, as well as in the opportunities for professional initiative, the expansion of the thematic palette, and the development of new creative solutions. The comparison of facts presented in the article allows us to identify logically explainable patterns, such as why Steshin often uses allusions to the Great Patriotic War in his works on the special military operation, why he refers to the special military operation as the «Holy Military Operation,» and why, despite not being an eyewitness to the Great Patriotic War, he continues to address the events of 80 years ago in his work. The conclusion that emerges from the analysis of Dmitry Steshin’s materials is the formulation of the main journalistic ideology that every Russian war correspondent should follow today: during a war waged by their country, a journalist has no moral right to «stand above the fray.» The only way to win the information war against the West is to reject the standards of quasi-objective journalism imposed by the Anglo-Saxon school for information colonies.