Public Health Reporting in the China’s TV News: A Case Study of Early Stage of COVID-19 Outbreak

Zhang Shuang; Kuok Tiung Lee

doi:10.47405/mjssh.v9i8.2809

Zhang Shuang Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Kuok Tiung Lee Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v9i8.2809

Keywords: TV news, COVID19, Mediascape

Abstract

initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan in December 2019 prompting swift nationwide measures. Amidst the escalating crisis has contribute to China enforced temporary closures and exit controls in Hubei province, a pivotal move in curbing the virus's spread on January 23, 2020. This paper aims to explore the role of CCTV News, as the "mouthpiece" of the Party and the government in shaping public opinion during the COVID-19 epidemic. This preliminary study utilizes content analysis methods to examine the framework of COVID-19 news coverage, with a focus on a specialized TV news program aired between January 20 and February 20, 2020. The findings show how positive publicity and humanistic care initiatives have been instrumental in stabilizing public sentiment and effectively conveying China's perspective amidst the crisis. Subsequently, on January 28, 2020, the Publicity Department of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television coordinated the programming of national satellite TV programs prioritizing epidemic prevention and control coverage, curtailing entertainment programming, and issuing comprehensive programming guidelines to all 36 satellite TV stations. This concerted effort is seen as a strategic shift that has significantly increased the dissemination of information, addressed public concerns, and steered public opinion in support of the nation's fight against the epidemic.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Beaudoin, C. E. (2007). SARS news coverage and its determinants in China and the US. International Communication Gazette, 69(6), 509-524.

Bright, J., Au, H., Bailey, H., Elswah, M., Schliebs, M., Marchal, N., & Howard, P. N. (2021). Take CCTV news epidemic report as an example. News Outpost, (02).

Chen, L. D. (2016). The proposal, debate and conclusion of party spirit and people's nature: Xi Jinping revived the ideological traceability and practical significance of "party spirit" and "people's nature." Journal of Anhui University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 40(6), 71-88.

Chen, L. D. (2017). Supervision by public opinion and positive publicity are unified: Study of Comrade Xi Jinping's "February 19" speech. News and Writing, 1, 61-64.

Ding, B. (2020). The cohesion of academic wisdom: Overview of Xi Jinping's news of public opinion. Contemporary Communication, 2, 11-18.

Du, X., & Jiang, X. (2022). Take the report of COVID-19 prevention and control in News Network as an example. Southeast Communication.

Elabiyi, M. O., Adenola, O. J., & Hasan, A. (2020). Overview of COVID-19 and way forward. Electronic Research Journal of Engineering, Computer and Applied Sciences, 2(2020), 28-36.

Gui, L. (2021). Media framing of fighting COVID‐19 in China. Sociology of Health & Illness, 43(4), 966-970.

Luan, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Information presentation and media performance in COVID-19 epidemic reports. News Front Line Report, 2, 12-15.

Mao, J. (2021). Framework research on COVID-19 epidemic report in News Broadcast. Media Forum, 19.

Qu, S. (2019). Cultural-moral governance and television entertainment: The transformation of talent shows in postsocialist China. (Doctoral dissertation), The University of Manchester.

Verma, R. (2020). China’s diplomacy and changing the COVID-19 narrative. International Journal, 75(2), 248-258.

Xie, Z., Qin, Y., Li, Y., Shen, W., Zheng, Z., & Liu, S. (2020). Spatial and temporal differentiation of COVID-19 epidemic spread in mainland China and its influencing factors. Science of The Total Environment, 744, 140929.

Xu, W., Wu, J., & Cao, L. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic in China: Context, experience and lessons. Health Policy and Technology, 9(4), 639-648.

Yang, Q., Wang, J., Ma, H., & Wang, X. (2020). Research on COVID-19 based on ARIMA model: Taking Hubei, China as an example to see the epidemic in Italy. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 13(10), 1415-1418.

Yue, L. (2012). Research on the framework of mine disaster report under the threshold of news production. Journalists, 11, 24-28.

Zeng, F. (2013). Traditional media as the mediator: Framework integration and policy response. News and Communication Research, 20(01), 37-50.

Zheng, C., Shao, W., Chen, X., Zhang, B., Wang, G., & Zhang, W. (2022). Real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines: A literature review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 114, 252-260.