Public Policies Behind The Media:a Comparative Study Of Print Media On "Global Climate Change" Between China And America

To effectively understand the dynamics between public policies and public opinions, reseachers have identified the media as a key agent. Comparative study of public opinion shows that the media has a significant influence on public opinion. There is very little research on how Chinese and American mass media have shaped their respective public opinions on climate change. Given the significance and power of China and the U.S in today’s world, examining their public policies toward critical international issues, as well as their domestic driving forces underlying such public policies are of significant value for comparative studies on public administration.Climate change issues are global issues of wide social concern, but also hot issues of contemporary social science research focuses, aroused high attention from overseas scholars of public policies. China and the U.S as the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and the world’s economic power, the two countries have taken quite different public policies. Chinese government has taken a positively target to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, optimize the energy structure, actively participated in the global climate change, while the U.S refused to sign Kyoto Protocol, even for now have not reached unified public policies, researchers have identified the two governments’ respective performance is also associated with distinct public opinions. Researchers also have identified distinct public opinion of the two countries regarding the climate change, the unified Chinese public opinion of the truth of climate change, and provide solid foundation for public policies.Public recognition regarding climate change mainly originated from mass media, information of different ideology could build different cognitive difference, the paper based on the distinct public policies of China and the U.S, from the perspective of media, research on the difference of Chinese and the U.S mainstream media regarding the global climate change, aims to provide some critical evidence, to support and rich related studies.