US Portrayal in Hostile Country Media

China

Overview and Gatekeeping

U.S. Portrayal in Hostile Countries' Media

• Press Freedom Index - 173
• State Run Media
• Three Major Carriers
• Xinhua
• China Central Television (CCTV)
• People's Daily
• If not state run, they must receive government approval

Matt Gobel, Nuri Kim, Leah Moss, Andrew Peoples, Kent Strickland, and Jonathan Wilson

"The first social responsibility and professional ethic of media staff should be understanding their role clearly and being a good mouthpiece. Journalists who think of themselves as professionals, instead of as propaganda workers, are making a fundamental mistake about identity." -Hu Zhanfan (President of CCTV)

$1.25

Vol XCIII, No. 311

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Vol XCIII, No. 311

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Introduction

China: Framing

Russia

Russia: General Information and Gatekeeping

• U.S. coverage isn't outright negative
• Instead, coverage of China is positive
• "willing", "responsible", "respectful"
• Produces two possible effects
• U.S. the hypocrite
• China the hero

• Russian media include television

and radio channels, periodicals,

and Internet media, which according to

the laws of the Russian Federation may

be either state or private property.

• Gatekeepers:
• Russia Today
• For English-speakers
• More balanced than Russian papers
• Balances sensationalism with criticism
• Pravda, Russian state news, is much more negative

• Examining how the U.S. is portrayed in potentially hostile countries
• Russia
• China
• Iran
• North Korea
• Determining what media effects are used in these countries
• Gatekeeping - Who supplies the news?
• Agenda-setting, framing, and priming

Agenda-Setting

Dr. Haynes is awesome!!

-Us (reliable source)

North Korea: Extreme Media Bias

Foster a Pro-China Environment

Iran: Overview and Gatekeeping

“You would have to be blind, deaf and stupid to pretend that America does not shove its interfering nose into every corner of the planet. You would have to be naive beyond belief to pretend that there is no American interference in the Hong Kong demonstrations, when the territory is riddled with ‘foundations’ and ‘endowments’ run by and financed by exactly the same people who have run the ‘Arab Spring’ and the ‘Colour Revolution’ in Eastern Europe – movements which have brought mostly misery to their unfortunate beneficiaries.” -David Ferguson article in People's Daily

• KCNA lumps seemingly related (but actually unrelated) information together about the U.S. to make coverage as negative as possible.
• Trayvon Martin and Ferguson
• 52% of Americans believe that racism is still alive
• Arbitrary economic figures to make the US economy look worse off than North Korea’s
• Content is more extreme than headlines, which tend to be less sensational
• Mostly reports on U.S. in relation to South Korean support and international presence
• Accusations of imperialism
• Relies on complete control of the media for pro-DPRK and anti-western propaganda

Freedom House Rankings

Press Freedom Index 2013

North Korea: Gatekeeping and Overview

• Article 3, Section 2 of 1979 Constitution
• Government responsible for “raising the level of public consciousness in all areas by the correct use of press, mass media and other means of communication.”
• The Government is essentially the gatekeeper
• Attempts at media control reform have been met with hardline conservative backlash
• Example: Early 2000s, President Ahmadinejad’s regime overturned much of the previous government’s media reforms like banning satellites and jamming foreign broadcast

Russia: 148 Partly free

China: 173 Not free

Iran: 174 Not free

North Korea: 178 Not free

United States: 32 Free

Russia: Priming & Framing

• Most state control of media out of four countries
• Article 53 of the North Korean Constitution protects freedom of the press
• Means nothing
• Only news available controlled by the government of North Korea
• News characteristics
• Praises North Korea
• Strongly criticizes western states
• Advances the cult of personality of the Kim dynasty and Juche philosophy.
• Originally Soviet and Chinese news model, but adapted them to suit the leaders’ and the party’s needs.
• Takeaway: Government uses media as a tool to promote its agenda.

Iran: Agenda Setting and Frames

• Russia Today: Uses quotation marks to describe

United States and Russia- “world’s only superpower” for US, “aggressive Russia” for Russia- indicating skepticism of both claims

• Pravda: headlines more extreme compared to the content. Very negative towards Obama

“Chosen by the American agencies, the oligarchs of Wall Street and other invisible and irresponsible wizards, Obama basically is threatening what is left of peace and freedom in the Mediterranean area, in Europe and East Asia”

Agenda Setting: Russia

• Agenda-Setting: Promote Islamic/Iranian ideals
• Framing: Pro-Russia and anti-America.
• Russia is viewed as non-Western
• United States has an imperialist agenda
• Positive support for U.S. in regards to ISIS/ISIL
• Priming: Articles support America when cooperating with Russia or Iran and antagonize when it doesn't

North Korea: Headlines and Quotes

References/Bibliography

Russia Today Headlines:

• “Silent Misery: Actual US unemployment 37.2%, record number of households on food stamps in 2013”
• “US child homelessness at all time high”

Pravda Headlines:

• "USA or United Totalitarian Police States?"
• "Obama may face impeachment after Nov. 4th elections"
• “Russian officials Troll American Counterparts”
• “US Justice system miscarries nicely”

"The Russian Constitution provides

for freedom of speech and press,

but government application of law,

bureaucratic regulation, and

politically motivated criminal

investigations have forced the

press to exercise self-censorship

constraining its coverage of

certain controversial issues,

resulting in infringements of these

rights."

-Wikipedia

Theories and Methods

• http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news30/2014-0430-23ee.html

• http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201412/news01/20141201-15ee.html
• http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2014/201404/news30/2014-0430-03ee.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_of_China#Official_media_channels
• http://proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=36957187&site=eds-live
• http://english.people.com.cn/
• http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/n/2014/1021/c98649-8797411.html
• http://en.people.cn/n/2014/1205/c90777-8818986.html
• http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=be444c3a-8aa1-4414-ad73-255990265879%40sessionmgr112&vid=14&hid=126
• http://rt.com
• http://abs.sagepub.com.proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/content/58/7/898.full.pdf+html
• http://english.pravda.ru
• http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-remote.galib.uga.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b20ade12-09cc-4146-8575-1414a6e1fef0%40sessionmgr4001&vid=9&hid=4213
• http://iran-daily.com
• http://tehrantimes.com

Iran: Headlines and Quotes

Final Thoughts

• Headlines that laud its role in the international community and severely criticize the U.S. in any story in which it’s featured.
• Headlines
• "US and S. Korean War Drills under Fire"
• "DPRK Official Flails U.S. for Ebola Virus"
• "News Analysis on Poor Human Rights Records in US"
• Greatest Hits
• “The U.S. is a living hell as elementary rights to existence are ruthlessly violated.”
• “The U.S. government has monitored every movement of its citizens and foreigners, with many cameras and tapping devices and even drones involved, under the pretext of ‘national security’.”
• “The U.S. military doctrine is a preemptive strike and the scenario of the U.S. and south Korea for invading the DPRK is one of a nuclear war.”
• “What such traitors and human scum as Kim mouthed off is no more than a daydream.”
• “[America] paid 140 million dollars to a foreign pharmaceutical firm for research into Ebola virus and chose African countries as a bio-weapon testing ground, according to a Liberian professor.”

• Examined news articles from online newspapers about the U.S. in the past year
• Studied patterns of reporting
• Headlines and content
• Used journal articles and outside sources for gatekeeping/other relevant information
• Notable frames
• Possible agenda setting or priming
• Limited by English translations
• More extreme in original languages?
• Expected states with less press freedom to portray America more negatively
• And to be more anti-American

• All four countries used agenda setting, framing, and priming to varying degrees
• North Korea and Iran most extreme anti-American frames
• Press freedom rankings consistent with what we perceived
• Common trends
• American democracy is flawed or not real
• U.S. is a police state
• Criticism of "Western" thought
• American imperialism/intervention abroad
• More media control by governments creates more extreme frames

• Headlines
• "Diplomat Says Russia-West Tension Leading to Economic War”
• "US Encirclement of Russia Setting Stage for Nuclear War”
• "Putin Urges US not to Meddle in Russian Affairs”
• "CIA Aware of 2007 Terror Attack, Did Nothing About It”
• Quotes
• “The Ahmadinejad government holds that the duty of the media is to report and support government actions, not comment on them. Sensitivity over the nuclear issue at home and abroad has led to a greater government crackdown on news reporting. Use of “suspicious sources,” or sources that criticize the government, is forbidden.”