Methods of Forming a Media Image of Russia in Contemporary Spanish Newspapers 'El Pais' and 'El Mundo'

Abstract

The article reviews the materials of the electronic editions of the largest Spanish newspapers El Pais, El Mundo, containing publications about Russia. These periodicals relate to quality press and have the greatest influence on the public opinion of the Spanish population. The scope of the study includes the period from 2014 to 2018 and covers all major topics related to the political, economic and cultural life of Russia. As a fragment of the world image in the media space there is an image of the country, which is largely formed by the presentation of the media, is created on the basis of current events of the surrounding reality, includes their dynamics, is an expression of public consciousness and its influence on it. The article aims to determine whether the image of modern Russia in the Spanish press is predominantly positive or negative, and also to analyze the specifics of the Russian political media's formation in the Spanish print media by using stylistic, semantic and syntactic techniques. In the press, journalists often use such methods as metaphor, hyperbole, irony, comparison, and others to create a media image of a country. The article presents examples of translation into Russian from the newspapers El Pais and El Mundo, showing the use of these techniques. Thus, editorial teams of newspapers can act as manipulators who are directly involved in shaping a certain view of Russia from the Spanish public.