A Study Of The Discourse Construction And Metaphorical Turn In The Epidemic Coverage Of Caixin

As Ulrich Beck said,risk is invisible and closely linked to human decisions.2020 saw the sudden outbreak of the new crown epidemic sweeping through the land of Wuhan and then spreading across the country.In the early stages of the outbreak,information was mixed,public opinion was complex and volatile,and the public was desperated to feel safe in media pseudo-environment.With the normalisation of epidemic reporting,mainstream media have become more robust in terms of news frameworks,content construction and technological tools,which will help to enhance the ability of the media to access information,respond to emergencies and guide public opinion during future public health emergency.This article takes metaphor theory as a research perspective,and by deconstructing the production and discourse construction process of Caixin’s anti-epidemic reports and analyzing the types of metaphors in its discourse expressions,it provides references for China’s media to respond to emergencies in the future.Caixin coverage of the epidemic not only provided rapid response an,objective and comprehensive content,but also documented,popularised and interpreted the epidemic in the form of special features such as "Figures" and "Pneumonia Diary",presenting the development of the epidemic in a panoramic manner.In addition,Caixin balanced its media mission by bringing into play its role of monitoring public opinion and focusing on the lack and failure of epidemic prevention work,while introducing diverse metaphors in the construction of the epidemic coverage discourse to increase the care and balance for different social groups.The media should also take the credibility of the media as a starting point,and be professional and humanistic in their reporting of public health emergencies for speaking out for the people.