Friday, October 20, 2023

online journalism about religion

Russian Orthodox framing of abortion in online journalism on religion


Caroline HILL, Uppsala Universitet, Sweden

Social Compass 1–20 
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions 
https: journals.sagepub.com/home/scp
doi: i1.o0r.g1/107.711/0707/307073677868263213119988783

When making public statements about abortion, those serving in the Russian Orthodox Church are beholden to the legacy of the Soviet health care system and the need to connect with audiences whose religious sentiments are largely nominal. This article explores framing of abortion by clerics and others serving in the Church in 150 Russian online newspaper articles. Said framing was analyzed according to typologies from prior research of morality policy and church-state relations in Russia. The frequency with which these frames were employed was measured and cross-referenced with article genres. The results show that rational-instrumental frames rooted in secular reasoning surpassed religious argumentation and appeals for state intervention, and that frames expressing disillusionment with the Russian government outpaced positive assessments of the state.

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