The article is devoted to the representation of the Arctic territories’ development, as well as the concept of the «Arctic» in Russian, American, Canadian and Norwegian mass media. These states are known as the leading Arctic players, so their information policy regarding the Arctic territories development is of scientific interest. The article covers both the historical and legal aspects of the Arctic development, where the origins of the current geopolitical situation are indicated, and the specifics of the Arctic presentation in the national media of Russia, the USA, Canada and Norway. As the result of the study, general trends in international Arctic media discourse have been stated: a high frequency of publications, coverage of the Arctic exploration issue through informational and analytical genres, as well as the internationalization of the Arctic and the expert journalists’ approach to the Arctic issue. Among the national tendencies, the following can be noted: in Russian media discourse this is the a