Portraying China as an alternative to U. S. Hegemony: The China daily’s framing of the arab spring

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Atlantic Journal of Communication

Publication Date

5-27-2019

Abstract

© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This study explored how China’s most authoritative English news medium, The China Daily, portrayed the Arab Spring within the context of the concerns of the Chinese government about the possibility of social movements within its own territory. It found that The China Daily utilized several characteristics–story framing, reliance on official sources, and delegitimization–of the “protest paradigm” to degrade the significance of the Arab Spring. By making the voices of China’s political and economic elites the most visible in its news stories, this paper advocated the Chinese government’s perspectives on the Arab Spring, while minimalizing those of Arab citizens and social activists. More significantly, it tried to present the Arab Spring as an issue that might serve to revitalize the patriotism of the Chinese people. The paper’s coverage laid emphasis on the increasing global power and influence of China in the Middle East and, at the same time, encouraged the Chinese people’s support for their own government.

ISSN

1545-6870

Publisher

Routledge

Volume

27

Issue

3

First Page

200

Last Page

215

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Scopus ID

85065164457

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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