Representation Of Africa In English-language Media In China

In the1970s and1980s, the African continent criticized western media on how they dump negative news contents when reporting, communicating, or disseminating information concerning Africa (Chavis,1998) and insisted that there must be positive news reports in order to create a balanced news flow. However, in most cases, media still just follow the western trend of processing news or reproducing foreign news from the West, thereby retaining the negative stigma attached to Africa.China and Africa are known to nurture a stable "kind of strategic partnership," which has generated mixed opinions and feelings mainly from the West, which leads to the uncertainty and interest in how China portrays Africa.This paper therefore examines frames embedded in the news coverage of two leading Chinese English media, Xinhua and China Daily, aiming to uncover the representation of Africa in Chinese English media and whether or not it follows the same trend as western media which is known to always report negatively about Africa. Findings reveal that there is relative balance in the negative and positive news reports about Africa in Chinese English media and this is due to the type of long-term and stable interaction and mutual relationship between China and African countries.