A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The New York Times's Reports On The Sino-Japanese Dispute Over The Diaoyu Islands

By analyzing the news discourse of the New York Times on the Sino-Japanese dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, this research aims to make clear its discourse methods and uncover the underlying relationship among discourse,power and ideology.As a special kind of public discourse in today's globalized world, international news discourse has an increasingly significant construction influence over a country's national image. As a rising China is protesting unfair international rules, the occurrence of more conflicts makes the news discourse over international conflicts a more fierce competing field of power. As for the issue of dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, it is closely related with three major powers in the world, namely China, Japan and the US. However, its conflicting situation is said to continue, which has great strategic significance to stability and development in the Asian-Pacific religion. Thus, the news discourse of mainstream international media over this issue not only has great news value, but also weighs significantly to the national images of countries concerned, and can even constructs social reality.The US is an important factor in the issue, and the New York Times, a world-known international news organization which boasts its principle of being objective and unbiased, also has great coverage on the Sino-Japanese dispute over the Diaoyu Islands. Concerning the subjects of China, Japan and the US, the news discourse of the New York Times aims to construct what kind of images, and is there certain tendency, and what kind of power and ideology relationship can be reflected? As for specific discourse methods, how the construction of such relation is constructed? Moving to the dimension of social practice analysis, what kind of social reality can explain such discourse methods, and such discourse practices can have what influence over the construction of social reality?To answer the research questions above, this research is conducted by analyzing the news discourse of the New York Times on the Sino-Japanese dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, mainly using the three-dimensions CDA methods of Fairclough and also adopting the thematic structure analysis methods of Van Dijk. This research aims, on one hand, to improve audience's critical analysis awareness and ability in today's globalize world; on the other hand, to offer a deeper understanding about how the New York Times making use of news discourse, constructing certain power and ideology relationships. Such understanding can help China's news media master international communication skills and rules, contributing to China's national image building.This research finds that, the New York Times has adopted discourse methods in terms of over-wording, material processing, organization and realization of thematic structure, selection and organization of discourse representation, making use of textual and social contexts, forming a multiple dimension discourse system. Within this system, China is intensely construed as an ambitious provocateur causing great harm and threats; Japan is construed as a victim of China's threats and actions, although sometimes is also criticized by the US; The US is always construed as the wise mediator. Analyzing such discourse methods from the dimension of social practice, it can be found that unfair power relationships function under the discourse system, and a kind of biased ideology is reflected and skillfully construed, which is always praising the US, tending towards Japan and criticizing China, emphasizing so-called China's threats. Indeed, such discourse practices are in correspondence with the US's power construction needs in the social reality concerning the Diaoyu Islands Dispute, serving the US's hegemony construction in the region. But such discourse practices prevent the resolution of the dispute, and do great harm to the peace and development in the Asian-Pacific region. Thus, audience should enhance critical awareness and ability, and China's media should adopt effective discourse methods so as to master stronger discourse power in the international communication field.