Sporting Events, Reports And National Image

This thesis paper focuses on how English news coverage of international sports events builds up the national image of China. The thesis introduces the relevant issues of national image and international sports events coverage from theory explanation and cases analysis by combing the relevant discussion in mass communication from the concept and basic meaning of national image.The thesis mentions the importance of a country's national image, pointes out that shaping of a country's national image could not achieve without mass media as a country influences its public opinions through the mass media. The author analyzes the basis of national image building from the angle of agenda-setting theory. For content analysis, the thesis chooses English news reports on Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup from CHINA DAILY and SHANGHAI DAILY, aiming to sum up the law of national image building by reporting large-scale international sports events. With that, the author tries to figure out inefficiency of Chinese English media's coverage on sports events held in China, thus to improve and perfect Chinese English report and shaping of Chinese national image.As one of the important theories in effect research, agenda-setting analysis elaborates on how media can influence audience's understanding of what is the most important issue of the day. Deriving from agenda-setting studies, this thesis tries to explain the way that media builds up national image in international sports events reporting. Based on theoretical structuring and survey analysis, this thesis explains its working mechanism.The thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research topic; Chapter 2 probes into the present national image and expected image of China, analyses how media shape a country's national image from the angle of agenda-setting theory; Chapter 3 discusses the relationship between international sports events and national image; Chapter 4 analyzes two mainstream English media coverage about 2005 Shanghai Masters Cup and provides research results; Chapter 5 reaches a conclusion from the case analysis, including giving suggestions to 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.