post-truth

The article analyzes the concepts of Ukrainian centrism and truth-centrism as the unified mission of journalism. The article examines truth as the primary factor in the positive influence of the media on shaping national consciousness, dignity, state-oriented thinking, and convictions among Ukrainians, as well as national and universal moral and spiritual values. In a historical context, it reflects on the interpretation of truth from the perspective of Moscow-Russian chauvinistic-imperial ideology and politics, contrasted with Ukrainian national-humanistic interests and values.

The author analyses factors and tendencies that determine and testify the post-truth manifestations in the contemporary political process, and emphasizes that there were only some manifestations of post-truth in politics in the past. The main subjects of the spread of post-truth, as well as the problems caused by this phenomenon, have been identified. There are factors of strengthening the post-truth at the present stage: social and technological, political, economic and scientific.

The peculiarities of the post-truth interpretation, its key political manifestations and its impact on modern global society have been analyzed. It is asserted about the importance of education in combating the negative effects of post-truth political practice.

2016 was the year of two significant political campaigns, accompanying the referendum on membership of the United Kingdom in the European Union and presidential election in the USA. A popular image of these both campaigns consists of many cases of twisting the truth by the winning parties. It was confirmed by announcing the terms ’fake news’ and ’post-truth’ as Words of the Year 2016. Both words were and are widely used by politicians, journalists and voters. This article is an attempt to prove if these both new words actually mean new phenomena in journalism.