Research On The Media Image Construction Of Scientists In People’s Daily(1949-2022)

The report of the 20 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed the cultivation of an innovative culture and the promotion of the spirit of scientists,stating that the spirit of Chinese scientists is a valuable spiritual asset of the whole society and the Chinese nation.Paying attention to the construction and dissemination of the media image of the community of scientists by mainstream media is of great significance for the promotion of the spirit of scientists and the shaping and dissemination of the national image.This research selects830 news reports on scientists published by the People’s Daily from 1949 to 2022,and uses content analysis,text analysis and other methods to interpret the construction and historical evolution process of the image of Chinese scientists by the People’s Daily through the framework theory and prototype theory.The research sample is divided into four periods of the hundred-year history of the Communist Party of China.The features of the sample are analyzed and summarized from five aspects: the number of reports,the genre of reports,the theme of reports,the tendency of reports,and the distribution of word frequency.Four types of media images of scientists constructed in the four historical periods are identified.Based on the perspective of the framework theory,this study summarizes the news frames used by the People’s Daily in constructing the media image of scientists.Meanwhile,combining with the prototype theory,the study analyzes how the People’s Daily uses prototype images to construct the media image of scientists and arouse public emotional resonance.The research found that the People’s Daily constructed four types of media images of scientists with different characteristics in the four historical periods: "Marxists" who unite the masses(the period of the new democratic revolution),"practical workers" who strive for the socialist cause(the period of socialist revolution and construction),"patriotic heroes" who selflessly dedicate themselves(the period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization construction),and "exemplary role models" who tirelessly educate others(the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics).In the continuation and development of the times,the media image of scientists has been continuously injected with new spiritual connotations by the People’s Daily.Through the analysis of the content of the samples in the four periods,it is found that the formation of the media image of scientists is influenced by many factors in different periods.Regardless of the changes in the media image of scientists constructed by mainstream media,it ultimately reflects the development and changes of national politics,economy,and culture.The changes in the theme of the times,the need for the dissemination of the national image,and the social responsibility of mainstream media are the main reasons for the historical changes in the media image of scientists in our country.In the contemporary era,the construction of the media image of scientists still has important value and significance.It can inspire personal emotional impressions at the individual level,symbolize the mainstream values of society at the social level,and represent the vivid brand of the national image at the national level.The media should shoulder the responsibility of enriching reporting methods and content,constructing more diverse and vivid images of scientists,avoiding stereotypical reporting,and better constructing a rich media image of scientists for the Chinese public.