topic modeling

This paper analyzes the concept of novaja ėtika (‘new ethics’) as represented in Russian media discourse, focusing on a comparison between two prominent Russian media sources: Lenta.ru and Meduza.io. The study is based on a corpus of 86 texts published between 2019 and 2024. Using corpus-based methods – including frequency analysis, topic modeling, and named entity recognition (NER) – the study identifies distinct differences in how the term novaja ėtika is conceptualized, discussed, and positioned in public debates. Lenta.ru is one of Russia’s largest mainstream news sites, known for its pro-government neutrality and wide readership across the country. Meduza.io, on the other hand, is an exile-founded outlet that is often critical of Russian state policy and targets a younger, urban, liberal audience. Lenta.ru frames novaja ėtika predominantly negatively, associating it with external pressures, cultural conflicts, and moral censorship. In contrast, Meduza.io approaches the concept analytically, emphasizing its philosophical foundations, discursive development, and socio-cultural implications. The analysis also highlights differences in the representation of actors, revealing that Lenta.ru focuses on geopolitical actors and institutional structures, while Meduza.io also prioritizes individual commentators and cultural influencers. The results illustrate broader discursive strategies and cultural cleavages in contemporary Russian media that reflect competing visions of social norms, public morality, and identity politics. As an exploratory study, it is subject to methodological limitations, including the size and scope of the corpus.

Subject: e-Scripta

Keywords: new ethics Russian media corpus analysis discourse analysis topic modeling named entity recognition