A Communication Analysis Of China’s Two-child Policy From The Perspective Of Framing Theory

In recent years,China’s birth policy has been continuously adjusted,from "allowing couples to have a second child" to fully opening up to a third child.However,due to the short time frame of the third child policy and incomplete data,this paper only focuses on the "two-child policy".Guided by the framework theory,this study conducts an in-depth analysis of news reports and Weibo discussions on the "two-child policy" from the perspectives of government(as presented in People’s Daily),women(as presented in China Women’s News)and the public(as presented in Weibo).The aim is to reveal the characteristics and differences of the framing of the "two-child policy" in different perspectives,explore the public’s true opinions and attitudes towards the policy,and examine the mainstream media’s influence on its implementation.The study selects representative news reports and Weibo discussions for category analysis,comparing the similarities,differences and underlying reasons from various aspects such as quantity,themes and discourse.The study finds that in terms of categories such as quantity,themes and discourse,there is high attention and discussion on the "two-child policy" across the three public opinion fields of People’s Daily,China Women’s News and Weibo.The focus of discussion is policy implementation and women’s rights.However,there are differences: Weibo formed the topic earlier than newspapers;Weibo topics are more diverse than newspaper news reports;negative frames are more present on Weibo while positive ones prevail in newspapers;Weibo topics are highly emotional and directly address the social realities facing the implementation of the second and third child policies.The use of rhetorical devices and "labeling" is more prevalent on Weibo than in newspapers.Regarding government image,more negative frames are present on Weibo while newspapers present more positive ones.News reports focus on simple and informative policy information,with less effective interaction with the public.The study finds that there is still a long way to go to achieve the goal of close-to-life,close-to-reality and close-to-the-public dissemination in reporting on the "two-child policy".