Framing the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Chinese Global Television Network English

This article examines the coverage of the conflict in Ukraine on the CGTN English website during the first three months. Through a quantitative content analysis of 1,799 news items, this research identifies the predominant frames, social actors, and sources of information employed in the media coverage. The results reveal that the “diplomatic frame” predominates, followed by the “war frame”. The “economic frame” gains more prominence over time, compared to the “human interest frame”. Over these months, CGTN moves from an impartial descriptive approach to one that attributes responsibility variously to both sides, while striving to maintain a neutral overall position.