Newspaper Coverage of Environmental Problems in China: An Analysis of Three Chinese Newspapers

Abstract

I examine the coverage of environmental issues by three major newspapers in China, and find that all three newspapers' coverage of environmental problems and issues increased from July 2001 to June 2007. However, by examining the frequencies, article tones, article lengths, and geographic foci of each paper, I find obvious differences among the national Communist Party newspaper, the Beijing Party newspaper, and the Beijing non-Party newspaper. First, the two Party newspapers provide more coverage of environmental problems than does the non-Party newspaper. The Party newspapers often report environmental problem from a relatively positive perspective, while the non-Party newspaper is more likely to use a critical and negative perspective. Therefore, the Party newspapers seem to provide propaganda for the Party on the issues of environmental problems. Second, the Party newspapers' environmental coverage seems strongly influenced by the government's environmental policies and perspective, while the non-Party newspaper's coverage is strongly influenced by social issues. Third, the national Party newspaper gives more coverage to nationwide environmental problems, while the local Party newspaper pays more attention to the local area.