A Q-analysis of the changing image of China in the 'New York Times' from 1949-1988

This study reviewed past studies of national images from categorical and historical perspectives. Furthermore, some media studies from the perspective of critical theory were also reviewed to provide an adequate theoretical background for this research. Using a structural language called Q-analysis, the current study defined a national image presented in a news medium as a structural relation between a finite set of news stories about an object-nation in a given period of time and a finite set of descriptors that constitute these stories.; A random sample of 400 news stories about China in the New York Times were used for analysis; ten news stories were chosen from each individual year during the years 1949 to 1988. Based on the historical evolution of Sino-American relations, the total of 400 stories were split into two groups for comparison with the year 1969 as the dividing line. Analyses were performed to examine the similarities and differences in the semantical structures of the Chinese image before and after the U.S. and China started to adjust their foreign policy toward each other in 1969.; This study found that the configuration of the semantical structure was different in each time interval; and the structural differences defined different foci in the coverage of China. In addition, Q-analysis results revealed that the most prominent news stories had a more solid semantical structure than less prominent ones in each time interval. In the historical context, the coverage of China in the New York Times changed in accordance with the shifts of American foreign policy toward China over the past forty years.; Methodologically, this study has shown that the prominence of a topic in news stories in Q-analysis language should be understood as a multidimensional concept defined by both the frequency of its occurrences and the frequency of its co-occurrences with other topics. Future studies were suggested for the use of Q-analysis in media content research.