Presentation Of The Tokyo Olympics In Asahi Shimbun Under The Epidemic

As a global media event,the Olympic Games have always been a media arena in which national media compete.Unlike in the past,the outbreak of a major global public health emergency,the pandemic,has forced its suspension,creating an uproar of opinion between the international community,the IOC,the Japanese hierarchy(government),and the Japanese public on whether to host the Games.At the same time,the world landscape is volatile and complex,and the media are faced with the dilemma of maintaining their own newspaper policies while responding to national and global political changes.This study will examine the Tokyo Olympics in the context of the epidemic by examining Asahi Shimbun’s coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the context of the epidemic,exploring the dynamics of the Tokyo Olympics in the media mirror,the focus of content dissemination,the characteristics of issue setting,and the motivations for media communication,and thus presenting a panoramic view of the Japanese mainstream media’s communication and media stance towards the Tokyo Olympics.The special features of news coverage under the epidemic of major public health emergencies are explored to provide lessons for China to cope with similar emergencies and successfully hold major sports events.It also provides lessons for China’s mainstream media on sports news coverage and media transformation and upgrading under special events.This study combines the literature review method,the content analysis method,and the case study method and is based on frame theory and agenda setting theory.Firstly,we consulted the literature of China Knowledge Network,Vipshop,and Wanfang Data to understand the current status of research on the Tokyo Olympics in Japan at home and abroad.Secondly,the keywords "五(6" and "オリンピック" were used to retrieve relevant reports from January 2020 to May 2021 in the of Asahi Shimbun(digital),and 587 reports were obtained by manual screening and equidistant sampling as the research samples.and the 587 samples were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed.Based on Zang Guoren’s frame theory,three news frames,namely high,medium,and low levels,were constructed to analyze the narrative frame of the Tokyo Olympics coverage in the Asahi Shimbun under the epidemic.Based on agenda-setting theory,the study delves into and reveals the underlying intentions and media effects of the Japanese media.The study uses KH coder software to analyze the text for high-frequency words and co-occurring vocabulary tools.The study found that the Asahi Shimbun’s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics under the epidemic was exceptional,with the Japanese government issuing four emergency declarations between the outbreak and the end of the Olympics and the entire Olympics being overshadowed by the epidemic.The epidemic was compounded by media events such as the resignation of President Yoshiro Mori after he publicly made discriminatory remarks about women and the resignation of the former chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies,Hiroshi Sasaki,after he insulted the appearance of female entertainer Naomi Watanabe.The study also found that Asahi Shimbun’s focus on the Tokyo Olympics before,during,and after the epidemic was different,with the pre-games focusing on the Japanese government’s determination to unite all parties to make decisions and promote the Games smoothly and firmly,with a view to creating a good image of the country under the epidemic;the mid-games focusing on the sporting competition of the Games,demonstrating the primacy of gold medals,and focusing on local coverage,with a clear imbalance in the framework of coverage;and the post-games focusing on the impact of the event.The Asahi Shimbun,the official partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,showed both criticism and defense of the Japanese government,with little criticism and mainly defense.The Asahi Shimbun,which adheres to its "no bias,no party" policy,did have some rational criticism of the government,but in general,the Asahi Shimbun was unable to transcend the limitations of the country it was based in and showed its "national interest first" character by taking the side of the government.The Asahi Shimbun has been able to establish an image of Japan as an active and responsible epidemic-prevention country and as a calm and steady power in the face of the epidemic.The Asahi Shimbun’s coverage at the athlete level is clearly unbalanced,with a focus on local medalists and an imbalance in coverage of men and women.The Asahi Shimbun’s coverage of the 2020 Olympic Games in the context of the epidemic was generally positive in tone,catering to the political needs of the country,with the main battleground of public opinion at home and a focus on local coverage due to multiple influences of reporting guidelines,political and national conditions,and the epidemic.The above studies provide lessons for China when it comes to emergencies: the state should make timely decisions and listen to the people’s voices according to the changing development of events.The mainstream media should respect the law of news values,focus on the truth and use facts to speak,and stand on the people’s side to truly report different voices;the media should cover a wide range of perspectives and coverage and not be limited to the national perspective while ignoring the voices of international parties;and improve the media’s communication power,credibility,and influence.