A Frame Analysis Of American Media Coverage Of Chinese Overseas Students During The COVID-19

In the context of Covid-19 pandemic,Chinese overseas students in the US are more vulnerable than any time before.As China is the first place where the virus was reported,they face controversies around them and obstacles of going back home.In this thesis,the author tries to figure out the media images of Chinese overseas students during the period from 12.December 2019 when the pandemic emerged to 03.Nov.2020(the Election Day)in the US.After analyzing 77 articles from The New York Times and 37 from The Washington Post,the author found that they were portrayed as people who are isolated and lonely,vulnerable and discriminated;they might be hackers,thefts,and spies;they are source of financial budget of US universities;they have different and complicated attitudes towards China.The New York Times is more likely to use thematic frames in their coverage of Chinese overseas students.On the contrary,The Washington Post favors episodic frames.In general,the overall tone of the frames is negative.Then the author listed some reasons.From the perspective of journalists,there are factors like organizational considerations,journalists’ reliance on official sources and routine channels,the need of efficiency.In terms of ownership of media,it is so concentrated that dominant giant firms are producing similar outputs.In terms of the market,the media has to cater to the needs of readers while remaining politically safe.In terms of political stance,it is believed that they are sometimes tools for system-supportive propaganda.