A Comparative Study On The Agenda-Setting Of The People’s Daily, Its Micro Blog And Wechat Public Account

Nowadays, the new digitalized media represented by mobile net is pervading life in a powerful way, leading to the transformation of the media. Faced with the impact of the new media, traditional media make an effort to achieve a breakthrough by trying in various ways to expand its advantages and enhance its competitiveness, with the intention of strengthening its influence on the public and its effect of communication. On August 18, 2014, the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms approved during the fourth session of the group the Suggestions on Facilitating the Integrated Development of the Traditional Media and the New Media. In the Suggestions, it is stated clearly that the integrated development of the multiple media has become a national strategy for China’s development, giving a much-needed boost to the reform of the traditional mainstream media.This thesis is an attempt to study what is presented in the People’s Daily, its Microblog and its Wechat Public Account, with a focus on the setting of agenda in the different media. By studying the documents and samples, this thesis conducts a qualitative and quantitative analysis on the integrated development of the party’s paper. It is found that the paper form of the People’s Daily is more formal and practical, representing the authority; its Microblog has varied forms of presentation, featuring modern social networking, with high speed and more interactions; its Wechat Public Account is more effective in interpersonal communication and news coverage, but it lacks originality, incapable of demonstrating the strength of the newspaper with regard to news resources.It is argued in the thesis that the strength of the People’s Daily lies in its authority and in-depth observation. It is the mainstream media that the audience will choose when big events occur. Against the background of media integration, the People’s Daily is seeking to increase its influence with new communication options. It optimizes the resources for an integrated development while adhering to professionalism; however, it is found that the advantage of the mobile media has not been fully utilized, and the People’s Daily’s Microblog and Wechat Public Account should be more timely and authoritative in the report of big major events.