Representation of Emotional Content in the Media Discourse of War (Based on the Material of the Program «I Syla, i Volia» on the Channel «Ternopil-1»)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of emotional content and the main types of emotional narratives in media materials about the war, based on an interview with former prisoner of war Andriy Bazyura in the program «Both Power and Will». The object of the study is the media content of regional outlets covering military events, while the subject is the emotional characteristics and narrative features of interviews about the experience of being held in Russian captivity.

Research methodology. The methodological framework of the study consisted of: discourse analysis for deconstructing wartime media discourse; content analysis and linguistic analysis for identifying emotionally charged vocabulary; and the narrative method for examining the structure of monologues about traumatic experiences. Additionally, an analysis of verbal and nonverbal means was applied to examine the role of paralinguistics in amplifying the emotional tone of the broadcast, a quantitative method to identify the correlation between emotions, and a hermeneutic method to interpret the deeper meanings of the lived experience and its impact on viewers’ empathy.

Results. The article analyzes the features of the emotional content of media materials about the war based on the program «Both Power and Will» of the TV channel «Ternopil-1». The relevance of the study is обусловлена transformation of Ukraine’s media space under conditions of full-scale war, when media perform not only informational but also mobilizing, consolidating, and emotionally supportive functions. The emotional component of media discourse influences the formation of public opinion, fosters empathy, and contributes to the development of a collective narrative of war. The study considers approaches to the analysis of emotions in media within the frameworks of the linguistics of emotions, media linguistics, and communication theory. The paper analyzes the structure of the emotional discourse of the interview, constructed as a personalized monologue narrative. It is established that the emotional organization of the material is formed through thematic blocks (the beginning of the invasion, captivity, conditions of detention, survival strategies, and post-release reflection). The dominance of negative emotions of traumatic experience (?62%), balanced by positive emotions (?38%) that perform a stabilizing function, is revealed. It is shown that emotionality in the media text is realized through a combination of verbal and non-verbal means, while personalized testimonies contribute to the formation of audience empathy.

The novelty lies in the comprehensive analysis of the emotional discourse of a regional media interview as a personalized war narrative, particularly in identifying the correlation between negative and positive emotions and their functions in shaping media reality and public perception of military events.

Practical significance. The findings can be applied in journalism and media communication practices for creating effective emotional content, in academic courses on media linguistics and social communications, as well as in developing strategies for covering war-related topics with consideration of their impact on the audience and the formation of collective memory.

Key words: media discourse, war journalism, interview, emotional content, verbal means of communication, nonverbal means of communication, channel «Ternopil-1», «I syla, i volia».