ИСТИНА

Within past decades, journalists have started initiating and organizing social projects aimed at solving social problems: they arrange discussions of key issues and fight for justice, raise money for medical operations and help the poor. These activities go beyond traditionally understood functions of auteur journalism and expand the role of media in disrupted public spheres. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of 126 social projects by 65 Russian local media from 36 Russia’s regions show that journalists involve the polarized and fragmented public in social problem solving and fulfill the meta-function of development of civil society.