Construction of Surrogacy Representation in Russian Media

The goal of this study is to identify the specifics of the discourse on surrogacy broadcasted in Russian media. The focus is on the key frames through which surrogacy is assessed in the public discussion and the identification of the main institutional actors that are most actively involved in shaping the discourse on surrogacy in the media. This research determines what positions of these actors regarding surrogacy are broadcast in the Russian media. Analysis of publications on surrogacy of central media from print and Internet sources has been conducted on the basis of "Medialogia" database. Content analysis is the main utilized method. In this study Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse (SKAD) has been applied. Findings include the outline of the frames through which surrogacy is portrayed in media and the allocation of the attitudes towards this procedure expressed by various institutional actors in public discourse. The study consists of the overview of existing background on the issue, outline of the goals and delimitations. After that, literature review on surrogacy and its portrayal in media is presented, followed by methodology specifics, findings, and conclusion.