The Carriers Between Hong Kong And Mainland:Media Representation Of Parallel Traders

Drawing from labeling theory of deviance,this current study intends to examine media representation of parallel traders in the mainstream newspapers in Shenzhen to analyze their labeling practices and the process of labeling.The present study chose four major newspapers—Southern Metropolis Daily,Shenzhen Economic Daily,Daily Sunshine,Shenzhen Evening News—as the main sources for text-gathering.By adopting constructive narrative analysis to analyze 273 newspaper reports about parallel traders from September 2012 to December 2016,this study aims to discuss how the “other” has been constructed and represented with labeling practices in the media,and also explore the narrative patterns and logics in the news coverage regarding parallel traders.The study found that,whether in setting establishing,character naming or plot describing,media represents parallel traders with various labeling practices,and always articulate them with deviant behaviors through causal inferences.And there exist four narrative patterns,they are conflict narrative,moral narrative,suffering narrative,neutral narrative in the news.Thus,these newspapers create a distinction between we-group and the others in the representation of parallel traders,and also create a distinction between obedience/normality and deviance/abnormality,thereby inventing and even solidifying the dominant social norms,and completing the remaking of the moral codes.