Illustrative materials and their role in shaping the image of Ukraine (on the example of the French magazine Le Point)

Abstract

The article analyzes the publications of the French magazine Le Point. It is established that one of the most important means of creating the image of a country, Ukraine in particular, is illustrative materials. It was found that illustrations mainly serve as evidence of the truthfulness and undistortedness of information, but recently they have sometimes been used to manipulate public opinion. It is shown that at this stage the image of Ukraine is quite ambiguous, since, on the one hand, Ukraine appears in the imagination of the French audience as dangerous, vulnerable, capable of concessions and hasty steps, and on the other hand, as a state that confronts a strong enemy and does not yield to it. It is proved that the use of images is an important tool for shaping the image of the state or its leaders in the media. Journalists are found to adhere to the composition, that is, the appropriate combination of image and text, in most Le Point publications. But this feature is not always traced in their materials, especially those concerning V. Zelensky. It is established that the illustrations on Le Point pages are both equivalent to the text and serve as an addition to the verbal part. They attract the user’s attention, influence their emotions, act as a clear argument to the verbal text, play a leading role in shaping the image of the country. It was found out that among illustrative materials the most widely used are static photos, slideshows, video reports, and maps of Ukraine. The greatest number of materials are on socio-political issues, there are very few publications on culture-related issues. Education / science and their development in Ukraine are not at all interesting for French journalists. Sports-related articles would represent Ukraine to most advantage, but, unfortunately, they are not covered at all. Instead, the political upheavals and scandals taking place in Ukraine are actively spread and get publicity.