Евразийская интеграция: экономика, право, политика (Mar 2023)

The Specifics of the Internal Image of the People’s Republic of China in News Publications

  • N. S. Ivannikov,
  • E. E. Pravdina

DOI
https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-2929-2023-01-156-165
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 1
pp. 156 – 165

Abstract

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This study is aimed to analyze the methods of forming the internal image of the People’s Republic of China in the domestic media as part of the coverage of an initially negative topic — the coronavirus epidemic, as well as characterizing the PRC’s strategy for positioning its own image.Aim. Reveal the specifics of the coverage of the COVID-19 epidemic, considering it as a method of forming the internal political image of the People’s Republic of China in the online news media.Tasks. Determine the techniques used by domestic news network media to form the state image among the audience, based on a content analysis of a corpus of Chinese articles on the topic of the coronavirus epidemic.Methods. In order to determine the specifics of the coverage of the epidemic in the Chinese media, a qualitative and quantitative content analysis was carried out using a set of parameters developed by the authors, which includes the possibility of sampling, lexical heading analysis, sentiment analysis, and frame analysis.Results. The government of the PRC is able to form a positive discourse in covering an initially negative situation, such as the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the resulting pandemic, which is fully reflected both in the headlines and in the tone of the texts and the use of certain frames. Such an opportunity is provided by such factors as: the state’s ability to control the press at a high level, the Golden Shield international information filtering system, which is specific to the People’s Republic of China, censorship and taboo coverage of a number of topics that are undesirable from the official point of view of the Communist Party of China.Conclusion. When analyzing the Chinese sample corpora, it was concluded that the Chinese government is pursuing a targeted policy to create a positive image through high control over local news publications. The internal image formation is in line with the concept of building a socialist society with Chinese characteristics, promoting the construction of a community of common destiny for mankind, fighting hegemony and imperialism in the world, resolutely defending national sovereignty, security and technological development, and promoting cooperation under the “One Belt, One Road” Initiative.

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