Who Portrayed It as “The Chinese Virus”? An Analysis of the Multiplatform Partisan Framing in U.S. News Coverage About China in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

  • Yiyan Zhang Renmin University of China
  • Briana Trifiro Boston University

Keywords:

framing theory, partisan framing, digital news, social media, health issue, foreign affairs, China, COVID-19

Abstract

The emergence of social media as news sources has added another layer to news framing research. This study analyzes U.S. news coverage about China in the COVID-19 pandemic—an important issue because of the recently rising xenophobia and racism toward Asians—to explore how publishing platforms influence partisan framing in digital news. By conducting structural topic modeling (STM) analyses on website news and news tweets published by 27 major U.S. news media, this study examines how framing varied across media with different political orientations and whether publishing platforms moderate framing strategies. The results show support for differences across the spectrum of political orientation and between the two platforms. Conservative media tend to adopt more sensational and attitudinal frames compared to media that are more liberal. The gap between the two sides of the political spectrum was in general wider on Twitter than on news websites. Implications on media effects studies and activism against hate crimes are discussed.

Author Biographies

Yiyan Zhang, Renmin University of China

Yiyan Zhang is an assistant professor at the School of Journalism and Communication and a research fellow of the Research Center of Journalism and Social Development at the Renmin University of China. Her research focuses on the civic influence of digital media, especially the mediated interaction between news media, citizens, and governments on social media platforms. Her papers were published in journals including Information, Communication & Society, Journalism Studies, The Social Science Journal, Mass Communication and Society, and The Agenda Setting Journal.Address: Room 507, The School of Journalism and Communication, Mingde Building, 59 Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, 100872, Beijing, China

Briana Trifiro, Boston University

Briana Trifiro is a Ph.D. student in the Division of Emerging Media Studies at Boston University's College of Communication. Her research focuses on the intersection of media psychology and political communication, with an emphasis on the individual and societal impacts of social media use. She is primarily interested in the ways in which social media platforms impact how individuals perceive themselves, as well as the world around them. Her most recent research explores the role of the media in the construction of individual identity, and how this phenomenon is able to shape information processing. Her work has been published in Social Media + Society, Mass Communication and Society, and The Agenda Setting Journal.Address: 640 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02135Telephone: 781-470-9331

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Published

2022-01-27

Issue

Vol. 16 (2022)

Section

Articles

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