In this article is examined the actual problem of the modern media development, associated with the use of destructive technologies to increase the ratings of publications. The purpose of the article is to study the specifics of the use of shock statement in the materials of the British portal “WalesOnline” in 2021. The scientific and practical significance of the study lies in the development of scientific knowledge on this issue, the possibility of using the results of the study in dissertations and monographs, in the preparation of reports for scientific and practical conferences. The research materials are useful in the work of journalists and the editorial policy of the media. The research methodology is based on the use of special methods: linguoculturological analysis of the texts of the British portal “WalesOnline”, contextual analysis of the use of shock statement tools, the study of contextual applications of the representatives of this technology in the news.