The Hierarchy of News Values – A Corpus-Based Diachronic and Cross-Cultural Comparison of News Reporting on Epidemics

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study adopts a comparative keyword analysis to examine a corpus of news reports (N = 1009) published in Chinese and American newspapers on SARS and COVID-19 outbreaks to uncover the hierarchy of news values and potential differences across time and cultures. The results show that the news values of “Impact”, “Superlativeness”, “Proximity”, and “Eliteness” are often prioritized in both newspapers. For cross-cultural differences, the Chinese newspaper prefers a constructive reporting style through emphasizing “Positivity” in terms of agency, proactive measures, and favorable outcomes in fighting the outbreaks. The American newspaper prioritizes “Proximity” in terms of relevance to its audience. For diachronic changes, the Chinese newspaper has developed a unique theme to construct “Positivity” by calling for the solidarity of the international community. The Chinese newspaper also moves away from prioritizing geographic “Proximity” and government actors in constructing “Eliteness”. The American newspaper, however, changes to cover more government actors. The American newspaper also changes its exclusive economic focus in constructing “Impact” to emphasize the epidemic’s impact on various aspects of people’s lives. This study accounts for how the sociocultural context and the different magnitudes of SARS and COVID-19 outbreaks shape newspaper reports in China and the US.