The sculpture of tick-borne disease media coverage in the United States and China

Cheng Zeng; Yanzhe Tang; Diyako Rahmani; Stephen Croucher; Leona K Gilbert

doi:10.36923/jicc.v18i3.770

Open Access Article Communication Intercultural Communication

Cheng Zeng ⁽¹⁾ , Yanzhe Tang ⁽²⁾ , Diyako Rahmani ⁽³⁾ , Stephen Croucher ⁽⁴⁾ , Leona K Gilbert ⁽⁵⁾

1. University of Jyväskylä (Finland)

2. University of Jyväskylä

3. University of Jyväskylä (Finland)

4. School of Communication, Journalism, and Marketing at Massey University

5. Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä

https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v18i3.770

Issue
Vol. 18 No. 3 (2018)

Submitted
0206 October 30

Published
2018 November 10

Keywords:

Agenda setting, health care, content analysis, Lyme disease

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Abstract

Media’s ability to enhance the salience of certain topics for the public and affect governmental policy-setting processes is widely recognized. This is particularly evident in health communication, where newspapers are one of the most important sources of health information. This study compares media depictions of tick-borne disease in the United States and China. Both countries are experiencing an increase in tick-borne diseases and have vastly different media landscapes. To investigate US and Chinese newspaper coverage of tick-borne diseases, a content analysis was conducted of four US and four Chinese newspapers. The analysis considered length, tone, chief actors, and themes present in articles covering tick-borne diseases from 2010-2015. The findings reveal significant differences between the two nations on length of the articles, chief actors portrayed in the articles, and themes present in the articles. The data also show: tick-borne disease stories were overwhelmingly framed in a neutral way in both nations; newspapers in the US featured more celebrity-related stories compared to newspapers in China; and US stories as opposed to those in China focused more on health policies.

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Authors

Cheng Zeng

cheng.zeng@ndsu.edu (Primary Contact)

Yanzhe Tang

Diyako Rahmani

Stephen Croucher

Leona K Gilbert

Author Biographies

Cheng Zeng

Cheng Zeng is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University

Yanzhe Tang

Yanzhe Tang is a master’s student in the Department of Language and Communication Studies at the University of Jyväskylä

Diyako Rahmani

Diyako Rahmani is a Lecturer in the School of Communication, Journalism, and Marketing at Massey University

Stephen Croucher

Stephen Croucher is a Professor and Head of the School of Communication, Journalism, and Marketing at Massey University

Leona K Gilbert

Leona K Gilbert is an Associate Professor in Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä

Zeng, C., Tang, Y., Rahmani, D., Croucher, S., & Gilbert , L. K. (2018). The sculpture of tick-borne disease media coverage in the United States and China. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 18(3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v18i3.770

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