Media Ecology and the Politics of Dissent: Representations of the Hong Kong Protests in The Guardian and China Daily

Abstract

The phenomenon of protests, currently on the rise in worldwide democracies, is made known to citizens mainly through representations in the media. This article, responding to the need for a broader view of protest media coverage in an international context, examines the ways the 2014 Hong Kong (HK) protests were covered by the online versions of two highly influential and appealing newspapers, belonging to contrasting media systems: The Guardian and China Daily. By revising a typology of previously used frames and inventing new ones, this study conducts a quantitative content analysis of news articles with the view to (a) highlight similarities and differences in the media coverage of protests within the abovementioned media systems, (b) find out whether the media coverage of such events with political ramifications is affected by the geopolitical interests of the countries. Based on our analysis, this study suggests the need for revising the protest paradigm as important factors-the protests' momentum, the media systems, the new information communication technologies, and certain geopolitical interests-are involved in the dynamics surrounding media coverage of protests and as such they greatly influence the framing process. Moreover, our findings demonstrated that the media coverage of the 2014 HK protests by the two newspapers was reflective of both the media systems in which they function and the distinctive national standpoints.

News media and the racialization of protest: an analysis of Black Lives Matter articles

“…demonization and delegitimization), we turned to other scholarly research to identify variables commonly used to denote presence of the paradigm characteristics. Researchers have operationalized demonization by examining overall tone (positive, negative or neutral) of the news articles or by identifying lengthy descriptions of violent confrontations between the protesters and police regulating the protests (Dardis, 2006; Veneti et al , 2016). Demonization can also occur when articles identify the illegal character of the protest – including mentions of arrests for disruption of the peace or disorderly conduct, for example, or outlining other specific actions that are technically illegal but generally do not garner public outrage, like conducting a parade without a permit or failure to use established routes (McLeod and Hertog, 1999).…”

“…Delegitimization has been operationalized by identifying journalists’ use of descriptions of the appearance or “theatrical” actions of protesters such as chanting, waving flags, or linking arms (Dardis, 2006; McLeod and Hertog, 1999). Still others have used descriptions of the social and economic disruptions caused by the protests to operationalize the delegitimization of protests (Di Cicco, 2010; Veneti et al , 2016)…”

“…Many times a frame will define the protest in a way that actually has nothing to do with the motivation for the protest. Common frames found in protest coverage include: riot frames, which overemphasize any lawlessness, danger, destruction, and disorder occurring because of the protests; crime story frames, which describe protest events in terms of specific criminal acts committed by those part of the protesting group; and carnival frames, which minimize the social issue being protested in order to highlight the aspects of protest that are more theatrical, for example, the waving of flags, beating of drums, or wearing of coordinated outfits (Hertog and McLeod, 1995; Veneti et al , 2016). The public nuisance frame tends to emphasize downsides that a city or community faces at the hands of a protest that are not dangerous or criminal, like long lines of traffic or the imposition of a curfew (Di Cicco, 2010).…”

News framing of the Euromaidan protests in the hybrid regime and the liberal democracy: Comparison of Russian and UK news media

“…Oliver and Maney, 2000) points to a cycle where protests result from and feed back into institutional politics, whilst other research (e.g. Veneti et al, 2016) stresses the national interests factor and the political and economic influence on media coverage (Herman and Chomsky, 1988). The relationship between news framing and politics is about promoting and legitimizing a particular policy orientation (Hammond, 2018).…”

A Review on War and Peace Journalism Paradigm

“…The rapid expansion of social media enables its users to have more direct access to news, but the traditional mainstream media still maintain its influence, have a larger readership, and establish reliability and authority. Traditional media continue to play an important role in shaping the public's view of events [1]. Meanwhile, "cross-cultural comparison" is very important to understand how different news systems affect public opinion [2].…”