This paper explores a set of criteria and attributes that characterize political tolerance as a crucial component of public discourse in a climate of democratic development. The authors describe the social-psychological and information-communication properties of political tolerance in its theoretical and empirical characteristics. It is proven that in mass media tolerance toward the views of others may incorporate heated public discussions, criticism and counter-criticism between two, or more, opposing parties, including focusing the attention of the audience on destructive social phenomena. The authors identify a set of attributes of tolerant communication in audiovisual mass media. Promoting nonstereotyped thinking and restricting hate speech, while at the same time providing each of the parties with equal and ample opportunity to have their say, are among the major components of public debate in TV and radio broadcasting. Intolerance in such programs is realized at the content and structural levels and may supply the audience with templates for engaging in political discussion in a destructive, and even asocial, manner. Intolerance is conducive to invalidating the principle of the creative activity of mass media within the socially significant process of representing topical issues and designing ways to overcome them.