PRESENTATION OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DISCOURSE OF NEWS INTERNET PORTALS

Abstract

The mass media in the modern world play an important role in forming public opinion. Interpretation of the problems associated with the introduction of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in the media discourse does not have a single vector. The ambiguity and inconsistency of the judgments of sociologists, economists, doctors, journalists, and the church contribute to the formation of a wary attitude towards the new methods of ART introduction in society. Objectives. To identify the special features of the presentation of assisted reproductive technologies in the materials of news Internet portals of the Republic of Belarus and Russia. Material and methods. The study analyzed the articles on the types of assisted reproductive technologies from three Belarusian (BelTA, Onliner.by, Sputnik.by) and three Russian Internet publications (Rambler, Lenta.ru, RBC). Results. For the period from 08.01.2020 to 08.01.2021, a content analysis of 97 news articles on the topic of ART was carried out. Conclusions. The most popular types of technologies mentioned in the articles are in vitro fertilization, surrogacy and cryopreservation. According to statistical data there are more positive publications that reveal ART issues than negative ones. In vitro fertilization (IVF) gets more loyal coverage on news sites compared to surrogacy. This is due to the fact that in surrogacy, a third party (a surrogate mother) is directly involved in the birth of a child, which violates the so-called «intimate» side of family life.