The Narrative Changes Of The Disaster Reports Of Sanlian Life Weekly

After the outbreak of COVID-19,disaster reports became omnipresent in the media once again.The “Cover Story” column of Sanlian Life Weekly uses timely,accurate,and in-depth reports to convey information,guide public opinion,relieve anxiety,and demonstrate the journalistic,social,and public welfare value of public media at critical moments.Disaster news narratives are an essential mechanism for modern society to understand disasters.It condenses the collective memory of disasters in society,reshapes the action mode of citizens when facing disasters,and affects the establishment and strengthening of public awareness of risks.Based on the narrative theory,this paper takes the disaster reports(44 issues,282articles)of the “Cover Story” column of Sanlian Life Weekly from 1995 to 2021 as the research object.The analysis is divided into three stages: 1995-2002,2003-2007,2008-2021.This column is analyzed using text analysis and case study methods from two narrative story and narrative discourse levels.The following two questions are to be discussed: Firstly,what kind of stories do the “Cover Story” of Sanlian Life Weekly tell?Secondly,how are the stories of disasters told in the “Cover Story” of Sanlian Life Weekly,and what changes appear in the different periods?In the narrative story analysis,the author introduces the discussion of narrative motifs.The disaster reports of the “Cover Story” of Sanlian Life Weekly in 1995-2002,2003-2007,and 2008-2021 mainly used the motif of “Disaster Comes”,the motif of“Around the Disaster”,the motif of “United Together” and “Be Prepared Before Disaster”.The whole study shows a development trend from “Things-Based” to “People-Based”and outlines an upward spiral path from “Vertical” thinking to “Horizontal” thinking and then to “Depth” thinking.The narrative discourse analysis shows that the narrator changes from being mainly the overt narrator to being mainly the absent narrator and then to being the “covert narrator + absent narrator”.This ensures the objectivity and impartiality of news reporting and enhances the readability of the news and public opinion guidance.The narrative perspective changes from being mainly zero-focus to “in-focus + out-focus”,and then to“in-focus + zero-focus”,with the emotional energy of the disaster is gradually awakened,and the power of reflection on the disaster is mobilized.The narrative structure changes from a vertical to a horizontal structure and then a horizontal/vertical structure,combining breadth and depth.This makes the disaster coverage more thematic,richer,fuller,vivid,and meaningful.In terms of chronology,a mixture of flashbacks,flash-forwards,and interludes is used;in terms of spacing,the five spacings of overview,scene,omission,slow down,and pause are combined with changing the rhythm of the narrative flexibly;in terms of frequency,the repetition of the narrative makes the article more focused and deepens the reader’s impression.It also leaves room for the reader to come back and chew on it again and again.Finally,the author believes that the changes noticed in the analysis show two points.Firstly,“people” are the core of disaster reporting narratives and should be the central theme of disaster reporting.Secondly,“disaster events” are not the only ones in disaster reporting narratives.The media should use it as a starting point for the narrative of the disaster,placing it in a pluralistic discourse,striving to create a sustained and comprehensive reflection on the disaster,and strengthening the social mobilization around disasters.