The article studies theoretical and empirical characteristics of political discourse asa scientific category and media functioning tool. Main lines of research of the discourse as atype of political knowledge are presented. Comprehensive analysis of characteristics of thediscourse as a type of political knowledge in respect to the activity of contemporary Russianmass media in the context of their influence on public opinion and formation of public politicalreality has been presented for the first time. We erected a proposition that discourse is a set oftopical positions and exchange of opinions and their interpretations. It is shown that discoursefunctions in a certain time period and space context, in a certain social and audience environmentand is an integral part of contemporary political process creating public space of the politics.Television is studied as a subject and object of public political activity. The notion of “politics”in a democratic society is described. Individual politi