A Discourse Analysis on the Reports of COVID-19 in China by American Mainstream Media - Take CNN as an example
Abstract
This paper analyzes the reports based on CNN's news coverage about the coronavirus situation in China from January to July 2020, combining the Frame Analysis with the theory of Critical Discourse Analysis. Through analyzing, it is concluded that the mainstream media in the United States have used a "fear" frame, "opposition" frame, "negative" frame and "blame" frame when reporting on the Covid-19 situation in China, and thus constructs China as the "other", creating a passive and chaotic image of China. This was deeply influenced by the rise of populism in the United States and the demand of finding a "scapegoat". In view of this, China's media should draw hints from the American media reporting frame and the characteristics of the American media discourse, as well as improve the function of media for overseas readers, and make the voice of the Chinese media heard by the world, and thus build a more positive national image of China.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18686/mcs.v3i2.1393
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