English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic

The paper aims to reveal how the two Olympic Games (the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July 2021 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in January 2022) were reported, that is, if, how, and why sentiment expressed towards the two hosting countries differs, and the implications. We conducted a study of...

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Main Authors: Xiaoling Zhang, Gareth Shaw
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026241231305
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author Xiaoling Zhang
Gareth Shaw
author_facet Xiaoling Zhang
Gareth Shaw
author_sort Xiaoling Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The paper aims to reveal how the two Olympic Games (the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July 2021 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in January 2022) were reported, that is, if, how, and why sentiment expressed towards the two hosting countries differs, and the implications. We conducted a study of 108 articles from six English-language news media publications to uncover repeated patterns of representations that may lead readers to form a preferred reading and interpretation of the two nations through the lens of COVID-19 and the shared international experience of sporting competitions. To understand how their representations were formed and worked, we turned to Said's Orientalism and the related notion of “the Other.” We hope the study will contribute not only to a more nuanced understanding of the rising anti-Asian sentiment in the West, but also to the theorisation of the evolving notion of Orientalism, especially during the pandemic period.
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institution Kabale University
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1868-4874
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publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
spelling doaj-art-49fbef73ea894a24959a2ceb16c845712024-12-05T12:03:30ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Current Chinese Affairs1868-10261868-48742024-12-015310.1177/18681026241231305English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the PandemicXiaoling Zhang0Gareth Shaw1 Department of Media and Communication, , Suzhou, China , UKThe paper aims to reveal how the two Olympic Games (the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July 2021 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in January 2022) were reported, that is, if, how, and why sentiment expressed towards the two hosting countries differs, and the implications. We conducted a study of 108 articles from six English-language news media publications to uncover repeated patterns of representations that may lead readers to form a preferred reading and interpretation of the two nations through the lens of COVID-19 and the shared international experience of sporting competitions. To understand how their representations were formed and worked, we turned to Said's Orientalism and the related notion of “the Other.” We hope the study will contribute not only to a more nuanced understanding of the rising anti-Asian sentiment in the West, but also to the theorisation of the evolving notion of Orientalism, especially during the pandemic period.https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026241231305
spellingShingle Xiaoling Zhang
Gareth Shaw
English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
title English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic
title_full English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic
title_fullStr English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic
title_short English-Language Media Coverage of the Two Olympics Under the Threat of the Pandemic
title_sort english language media coverage of the two olympics under the threat of the pandemic
url https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026241231305
work_keys_str_mv AT xiaolingzhang englishlanguagemediacoverageofthetwoolympicsunderthethreatofthepandemic
AT garethshaw englishlanguagemediacoverageofthetwoolympicsunderthethreatofthepandemic