Transformation of the Image of a Migrant from a Gastarbeiter to a Law Breaker in the Russian Publicistic Discourse

The work is devoted to the study of the topic of journalistic discourse, which is dedicated to modern migrants. The material from the “Central Media” subcorpus of the National Corpus of the Russian Language is used to analyze the stereotypical ideas about migrants, including labor migrants, that exist in the public consciousness. It has been established that the image of “migrant labor” in the Russian consciousness has transformed over the last decade. Thus, certain characteristics of the discourse acquired aggressive features. The main components of the stereotype under consideration are determined. As a result of the study, the authors come to the conclusion that, taking into account the identified reasons for the transformation of the image of a migrant from a “laborer” to a “criminal”, the correct organization of migration flows is important, on which the successful regulation of the labor market, the functioning of the education system and many other important for the state depend spheres of life. It seems advisable to develop and adopt an “ethical and tolerant code” in the media, excluding xenophobic attitudes.