Differences In International Media Coverage Of China

This inquiry address disparities in media coverage of China's present development in three selected countries: Norway, Brazil, and the United States. Coverage of one publication in each country is extensively analyzed to reveal a pattern in coverage, which seems to correspond tightly to the socioeconomic disparities between each country. The inquiry follows a three-step line of reasoning to conclude that the results, while limited by the unrepresentativeness of the sample, offer significant insight into the diversity of public opinion in differing political environments, as well as the complex web of interactions present in systems of political, cultural, economic, and media actors.This thesis addresses how the public and the press in different countries have different attitudes towards China. Some for example focus on the remarkable economic development of China, some on the possible threat China may expose, while others look at the negative side of the contemporary developing China. Now, certainly different publications have different views of China within a given nation, but after reading news from different countries around the world one will soon discover that countries or even continents have different approaches to China. More particularly, this study reveals significant disparities between coverage in Norway and Brazil. In Norway the press focus is often linked to the negative aspects of China's development. Human rights issues, poverty, and the Tibet issue are for example very popular subjects. In Brazil on the other hand, the press tends to focus a more on the positive side of Chinese development. Economic growth and stability are popular topics. The third country included in this thesis is the United States (US). Here however, another trend is apparent in public opinion and in the mass media. The US, more than the two other nations, is worried about China's development and how the growth of China can affect the US. American media is for example concerned about how the Chinese economy is affecting US's domestic economy and how China in the future may become a military threat.Based on these patterns, the paper formulates a statement which is the basis of inquiry for exploratory testing: in Brazil, the public tone is one of jealousy of China's development; in Norway, one of scepticism; and in the United States, public expression focuses on worry over China's development.To validate the initial investigation presented below, the thesis presents a quantitative investigation of one popular publication from each country, and, through categorization of the findings, tests the validity. Realizing that one publication from each country is not representative for an entire population, the goal is more to study the provided data sample thoroughly and present an insight into three different realities, than to actually determine the existence of a distinct paradigm. Having said this, the thesis ultimately argues and concludes that the initial postulates of the inquiry are to a great extent valid. To show this, the thesis uses a three step line of reasoning. It first uses theory from media studies to show that the media in the three countries has significant influence over the public when China is in focus. Secondly, the actual research largely confirms the author's initial assumptions and interpretation of the raw data. And thirdly, the thesis argues that there are three major factors that explain why the countries are different in their coverage and show how it is even natural for the coverage to be different. The main argumentation in this last part is that the socioeconomic level of a given country and the political and economic foreign relations of the same country influence the press coverage and hence also the public. Therefore, the results of the inquiry indicate that press coverage can be investigated as both a cause and effect in the political/cultural systems present in the three different countries. In addition to the three steps of reasoning, the thesis provides background information on the three countries and publications and a substantial discussion of validity and limitations of the paper. A key element in this discussion is the limitations linked to the quantitative research. Most importantly, one publication does not constitute a representative sample of the entire media and population of a nation. The discussion part stresses this fact and at the same time presents examples from other publications to show that the three chosen publications are not unique in their coverage. The thesis begins with an exploratory investigation, which specifically addresses the following postulates drawn from the author's initial interpretation: in Brazil, people are jealous of China's development; in Norway people are sceptical; while in the U.S. people are worried about China's development. Of course this statement is a generalization using a popularized wording of a very complex matter. And this is also the main conclusion of the thesis: The inquiry illuminates one important part of a complex reality.The issues raised in this thesis are significant for three reasons. First, it is important to realize that press coverage and the influence that press coverage has on popular opinion are significantly dissimilar in different countries. In order to create a more diverse image of China and undermine popular prejudice, policy makers, the press, and the public would gain from being aware of this diversity. Second, the research design presents a unique method in comparing press coverage in different countries. Third, the thesis provides an important line of reasoning in presenting the factors and explanations of the differences in press coverage.