Multiculturalism in media representation

Abstract This study explores the issue of multiculturalism in China’s journalism practice through the analysis of news coverage on the Sino-US trade war in China Daily (CD) and the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Following a corpus-based critical discourse analysis approach, the study compares thematic dimensions as well as recurring semantic patterns associated with them that denote two newspapers’ evaluative positioning. The findings reveal that CD’s reporting seems to be nationalistic-centric with overly positive representation of China’s practices and policies, while SCMP’s representation is multiculturalism-oriented with the representation of multiple discourses and articulation of competing and diversified viewpoints towards the evaluation of China’s market access and economic reform. The study concludes by recommending China’s official media practice continues to explore a multiculturalism approach to build dialogues with the international community in tandem with efforts made in promoting political, economic and cultural power.