Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Migration became an important issue in Russia only after the USSR dissolution. The authorities still struggle to implement a comprehensive migration policy, while public opinion stays strongly anti-immigrant. Thus, elites create various messages in the public realm, and public opinion is more one-sided. The question of representations which the media constructs becomes important in understanding what meanings circulate in society and influence people’s perceptions. Framing theory is used to analyze media discourse on migration in Russia. It is based on the idea that media messages are formed by interest groups using frames, structures which highlight certain aspects of the described event to present the reader with a certain interpretation of it. The existing literature on migration framing suggests that rge most common are criminality, economic, cultural, human rights, and human interest frames. Usage of these frames is compared in six federal newspapers, with an emphasis on differences in mass or business audience orientation, and in newspapers with traditionally critical or non-critical stance towards government policies.