The Effect of Beijing 2008 on China's Image in the United States: A Study of US Media and Polls

Abstract

The 2008 Beijing Olympics were widely regarded as China's ‘coming out party’, a belief strengthened by the extravagance and efficiency of the games. China was open about the image it wished to convey to the world, dubbing its games as the ‘humanistic Olympics’, ‘green Olympics’ and ‘technological Olympics’. Now, one year after the 2008 Olympics, this paper wishes to examine the extent to which China's Olympics were successful as a public-relations campaign in the United States by focusing on the images of China portrayed in the American media before, during and after the Olympics to detect any significant trends. The analysis focuses on editorial boards of widely circulated newspapers, representing the nine major divisions of the United States, and the three largest cable news networks: Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Finally, there is an assessment of public opinion polls gauging amity towards China. The results indicate that overall, US media images of China became increasingly negative directly before, during and after the Olympics. US public opinion of China correspondingly became more negative. To conclude, there is a reflection upon the implications of these findings on US-Sino relations and the image China wishes to impart to the American media and public.