PR AND PROPAGANDA IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE: PROBLEMS OF INFORMATION POLICY DEVELOPMENT

The article discusses the main approaches to establishing the difference between the concepts of public relations and propaganda. A reconstruction of the development of the sphere of public relations in Western political culture has been made. The features of the development of the sphere of public relations in the countries of the post-Soviet space are determined. It has been established that the concept of public relations, until recently little known and unusual for the former Soviet political culture and mentality, has literally burst into our lives in recent years. This concept has become fashionable, has become a real hallmark of new times. The entire civilized world has not only become accustomed to it, but has also turned public relations into an effectively working science and art of achieving mutual understanding and agreement between various subjects of civil society life. But because of its “fashionableness”, the concept of “public relations” is often used in place and out of place, often putting a perverted meaning into it. Sometimes a superficial approach to this area of ​​activity is contrary to the principles of social responsibility of civil society institutions, in fact pushing to treat the public as an object of deception, manipulation solely in the selfish interests of subjects whose favorable (or unfavorable) image is created at any cost. The institutionalization of a civilized professional system of public relations in the post-Soviet space is making its way through many objective and subjective obstacles. The content of obstructing factors of an objective and subjective nature is always concretely historical. A weighty historical factor in this process is the legacy of the influence of the propaganda machine of the past.