Досліджено ментальні моделі в новинному інтернет-дискурсі, які автор використовує для створення фейкових новин про коронавірус. Такі ментальні моделі є основою когнітивно-семантичного складника створення та розуміння дискурсу. Запропоновано типологію авторів такого дискурсу. Виокремлено головні інтенції автора та глобальні теми дискурсу фейкових новин про коронавірус. Виявлено типи семантичних міжпропозиційних відношень, які забезпечують локальну когеренцію дискурсу і на яких базуються ментальні схеми автора, а саме зіставлення (порівняння та протиставлення) і причинно-наслідкова суб"єктивна контекстуалізація.
The article concerns mental models in Internet news discourse that are used by the author to produce fake news about COVID-19. Fake news is understood as an umbrella term, including misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. False news can be found as inaccurate, unsupported, half true, misleading or false. The problem of COVID-19 is global and the consequences of COVID-19-related infordemic may have consequences that go far beyond public health. Van Dijk"s Sociocognitive discourse analysis framework is used for the Internet news which were proven as fakes by factchecking sites, such as VoxCheck, Full Fact, Health Feedback and Fact&Check.org. Discourse production is viewed as a complex cognitive process. The article aims to describe structures of discourse in terms of explicit psychological theories of mental representations, which are mental models. These mental models, which &are subjective representation of events, control the main topics and local coherence of fake news discourse. The macrostructure or the main topics that are being discusses and on which the whole story is based are "lab leak theory", the origin of the& virus, nature of the virus, whether people in power have good or ill intent, vaccination, wearing masks, false cures, emergency responses, reinfections. Local coherence is analyzed in terms of meaning relations between propositions. Fake news about& COVID-19 are predominantly based on contrast/comparison and cause-and-effect relations. The results show that mental models are based on the intention of the author, the type(s) of the author, the global topic and relations between propositions of t&he discourse. Knowledge of mental models can discourage the proliferation of fake news. This may as well help to slow the spread of the disease.
