Between Science and Silence

Media Representation of Thematic Foci in the "People’s Daily"

Bibliographic Data

ID22065503
AuthorsDamien Ng (0000-0002-9808-4905, University of London, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume12
Issue2
Publication date2026-06-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLingue Culture Mediazioni - Languages Cultures Mediation (LCM Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2284-1881 • E-ISSN: 2421-0293
PublisherLed Edizioni Universitarie (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.7358/lcm-2025-002-ngda
OpenAlexW7165763622
LanguageEN
References cited20

This paper explores media representations of thematic foci across the headlines of the People’s Daily. Based on the application of van Dijk’s (1980) macro-rule of ‘generalisation’ and van Leeuwen’s (2008) socio-semantic inventory of social-actor representation, namely the categories of ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’, the findings largely revealed the agency of the Chinese social actors associated with the authorities in keeping the COVID-19 pandemic under control through science. The focus was also on foreign countries’ perceptions of how China managed the public health crisis. These countries could be divided into friendly nations that praised China’s perseverance in maintaining control over the COVID-19 situation, and hostile states like the US and its Western allies that sought to discredit China’s efforts. China was portrayed as an economic saviour for other countries due to the immense business opportunities that its large number of outbound tourists may contribute to their post-pandemic economic recovery. However, there were no news reports that documented how the Chinese authorities intended to address the challenges faced by their country’s economy, intensifying the concern that a “Peak China” may ultimately materialise

Agency (philosophy) · China · Control (management) · Pandemic · Perception · Representation (politics) · Social media · Thematic analysis · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Global Security and Public Health · Media Studies and Communication

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