Comparative Analysis of «Islamic State's» Image Creation in Russian and the US Internet Media

Media today tends to popularize and touch topics that are likely to have high ratings. Terrorism is one of them. At the same time, the primary task of terrorist organizations is to achieve the effect of a permanent presence, the ability to "speak" through the platforms of mass media. Such relations between the media and terrorist groups are mutually beneficial. Media is expected to be an informational «beacon», a reference point which that provides a reliable picture of events that take place around the world. This fact obliges them to provide the maximum level of competence when covering complicated topics. However, the ability of mass media to influence the formation of public opinion can be deliberately used for strategic purposes not only by terrorist groups, but also by representatives of the authorities. Our research suggests that today terrorism has become not only a serious global problem, but also a profitable "platform" for stating positions in geopolitical relations. A certain supply of information not only determines the knowledge of the potential audience about a particular event, but also forms the categories which the recipient of the message will think in. In this paper, we are going to consider the features of the formation of the image of the "Islamic state" in the Russian and American Internet media.