Human Rights Media Coverage in Chinese East Asia

Abstract

An analysis was made of mass media coverage originating in four Chinese-speaking regions of the world—the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. The analysis was of coverage of human rights of three types: civil and political; social and economic; and due process. Rights were also scored as to whether they pertained to individuals and businesses. One finding was that civil-political rights were emphasized in regions with the greatest exposure to the West, while regions with less exposure focused on social-economic rights. Another result was that, as ideas about human rights diffused in regions, due process rights were increasingly discussed in the media. A further finding was that much of the press coverage that used the term "human rights" involved rhetorical responses to Western criticisms without articulating specific ideas about rights.