| This study aimed to compare the coverage of Hong Kong's 1997 reunification with China by People's Daily, The Times of London, South China Morning Post, and The New York Times. The papers were news leaders in China, Britain, Hong Kong, and the United States, countries with a strong vested interest in the event.; A content analysis examined the prominence, theme, tone, and source use of 320 news stories from the four papers during the six-month periods before and after the transition. The findings supported the Four Theories of the Press, which asserts that Communist press is a government organ, while Western press is immune to government influence. People's Daily covered the issue in its government's perspective, and the other three papers were objective in attitude toward their home countries. But three of the four papers reflected their government's position in their attitudes toward the transition, which suggested the validity of the theories that political and ideological influences on the press exist regardless of political system. |
