News Framing Of Public Health Emergency

This study makes an effort to understand how frames affect public attitude in the case of COVID-19.We compare and examine the news content of Le Monde and China Daily on lockdown over COVID-19 in order to gain insight into different framing strategies adopted by Chinese and French news agencies behind the framing.680 news articles from China Daily and Le Monde are involved in the framing analysis.Based on the framing analysis results,it appears that the psychological mechanisms of news press for the given issue are different.Even though the neutral tone is prevailing attitude,but the articles in the China Daily are more positive,whereas the Le Monde reports more on the negative aspects of the pandemic.The framing process links opinions of elites and state departments((both domestic and foreign)to public through the selection of news sources.As for the five generic news frames in China Daily and Le Monde,this study finds that the framework for attribution of responsibility,the frame for conflict,and the frame for human interest are the most popular frames in reporting on the pandemic lockdown period.Apart from the five generic frames,we identify two frames utilized when reporting on COVID-19 issue: Hope Frame and Threat Frame.Both Le Monde and China Daily use heroes to serve as models to inspire the public.These heroes are ordinary people who possess qualities such as loyalty,dedication,altruism and leadership.In the way of threat warnings,Le Monde adopts a fear strategy to warn French nationals of the potential hazards and risks COVID-19 could pose,while China Daily employs a guarantee and confidences strategy to keep Chinese public calm.Although they adopt different reporting strategies,in the particular circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic,they both prioritize the belief in respect for life and the safety of the population,which is consistent with biopolitics.At the same time,further understanding of the deeply rooted "ritualistic" structure of Chinese culture and the "individualistic" paradigm deeply embedded in Western social culture can provide a more profound academic interpretation and dissection to explain the differences in content selection between China Daily and Le Monde.