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Chapter 5
Discussion and Conclusion
The establishment of CNC World is to respond to China’s changing role in the international community, it acts as a channel for China to communicate with the world after the long self-imposed isolation. On the one hand, it aims to make the evolving China visible to the global audience and further to improve her national image. On the other hand, CNC World also facilitates the “Chinese perspective” on major global agenda to be heard. But the success of CNC World relies on its perceived credibility of news performance.
To answer the question “How CNC World reports global major news events”
is like asking what CNC World has put into its news in constructing the world reality. The present study has tried to look into the topics and perspectives contained in the headline, first read of the presenter, sources of quotations or citations, images, commentary, which CNC World selected to present the seven global issues the thesis has chosen for analysis. By comparison with CCTV 9 and CNN International, the adjustment CNC World made in news presentation from full government control to quasi-free of government control in the soft power approach context, has revealed itself.
By examining the headline and the first read of the presenter of the topics the three channels selected to construct each of the seven major global events,
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CNC World has higher accordance with CCTV 9 than with CNN International.
However, although CNC World and CCTV 9 are consistent in topic selection, CCTV- 9 focuses more on the Chinese government perspectives or the domestic circumstance of the countries in question but addresses issues of less global economic impact. On the other hand, compared with CNN International, CNC World and CCTV 9 seem restrained from giving time to such topics as ethnics, public opinions or technology. For instance, in reporting the Arab Spring in Egypt, CNN discussed the implications on races and public opinions as well as the role of technology, especially social media, in mobilizing the masses. Such was absent from CNC World and CCTV 9. Overall speaking, CNC World seems much more neutral in the tone of its news headline composition and mild in assertion of Chinese interest. Further, CNC World indeed found a unique position to present the so-called Chinese perspectives, it talks more about China when China is involved in the issue, but it tries to go beyond quoting Chinese government’s statements to present the topics. CCTV 9, on the other hand, more often than not, dwells on quoting or referring to the Chinese government policies.
The thesis also found, not surprisingly, that compared with CNN International, the two Chinese international channels are more akin to the Chinese government’s positions. First, the opinions in the quotations and
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citations are either in accordance with Chinese government’s official statements or consistent with Chinese foreign policies such as the Palestinian bid in UN.
None of the perspectives showed in CNC World and CCTV 9 opposed or criticized the Chinese government. Although the news sources of CNC World seemed more diverse, the filtered opinions are unitary. In contrast, by looking into the sources of quotations and citations and the commentary, CNN International showed greater independence from US or western government positions and is often more opinionated compared with CNC World’s “matter-of-fact” tone in presenting the news.
To conclude, as an international news channel intending to enhance China’s soft power by presenting ”objective and unbiased” global news with Chinese perspective, CNC World is cautious in composition of its news. CNC World differentiated itself from its other Chinese international news channel, CCTV 9, by constructing the audio and visuals in neutral tone and mild assertions, even in presenting events in which China is highly involved. CNC World also achieved the goal of broadcasting the Chinese perspectives which are marginalized by
Western media. Findings of the research show that CNN International failed to give Chinese opinions visibility, even in those issues which China is highly involved. On the one hand, this supports the observation that CNN International
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is basically a western news organization. On the other hand, the findings suggest CNC World has so far succeeded in filling a gap in the world’s flow of
international news.
However, the invisible hand of the Chinese government still leaves some trace. The concepts, opinions or stances implied in CNC World’s news frame do not get much outside of China’s political ideology box. What is presented in CNC World has a high corresponding match with those in CCTV 9, i.e., following the Chinese government’s stands. CNC World has yet developed the critical mind as the Western media. This could be the major obstacle in convincing the world of its “objective and unbiased” news. However, the restraint of CNC World is understandable. In fact, media can not exist without the interdependence with the macro context. Lee (2002) has identified in his research the pluralism in US elite media discourse about China in the post- Tiananmen and post-Cold War era.
Lee found out that even the globally prestigious New York Times fails to perform the orthodox and romantic “watch dog” role of an independent press since the daily’s editorials and comments on US-China relationship were still in the shadow of the larger political and economic context. Lee characterizes this as
“established pluralism” (p. 345) which produces an orchestra of “diversity within unity” and creates an impression of “diverse participation and vigorous debate”
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(p. 347). Lee’s “established pluralism” can well explain CNC World’s delicate approach to building up China’s soft power. As international news by its very nature is political and ideological, CNC World, CCTV 9 and CNN International will most likely represent its respective finance provider’s positions. Although the tones, the rhetoric, the visuals may differ, the essence remains essentially unchanged.
This thesis has tried to offer a systematic study to show, how CNC World, a news channels established in a changing China, is adjusting its performance to promote China in a global context better to present China. However, it has some limitations which need further research. One limitation is that this research only discusses 7 global issues, and because of the design of the methodology, some significant global events, especially those of which can illustrate the key Sino-US relationship in the current context were not studied. Such events include
Cross-Strait economic and security topics, human rights issues in China, or the issue like Wenzhou high-speed rail crash in July 2011. As we know, the Chinese and western media have shown great discrepancies in covering these issues. It is suggested that future research can focus on one of these issues or all of these issues to provide greater width and depth of CNC World’s performance in presenting China to the world.
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Second, the thesis focused only on analyzing the discourses of CNC World, CCTV 9 and CNN International. Their respective effects on the international audience certainly deserve research. In fact, if CNC World intends to project China’s soft power, the international public’s perception of its information shall be another dimension worthy of systematic scrutiny.
Last but not least, CNC World has demonstrated changes in the presentation of its news contents to distinguish itself from other English news channels in China such as CCTV 9, but the political ideology embedded in its news discourse seems to have remained as a deterrent in presenting, objectively and
independently, China to the world. Readers, however, should note that CNC World is a very young channel, its longer-term performance should offer another topic for study. All these studies are of both academic and practical implications in understanding international news flow and international relations.
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