Framing Wife Abuse in New Media: A Comparative Analysis of US and Chinese News Coverage and Public Opinions of Wife Abuse in China

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Abstract

Introduction: New media has become an important platform for individuals receive information as well as participate in public discussion on social issues.

Objectives: This study compares news coverage and public opinions on wife abuse by Chinese new media and the associated new media of the U.S.

Methods: Approximately 100 news articles with online comments on the high-profiled wife abuse case of Chinese Li Yang and his American wife Kim is selected for content analysis. A coding book with items of interest is used to analyze each news article and online comments.

Results: News coverage concerning social factors becomes prominent in the analysis. News portrayals in Chinese new media frame wife abuse as isolated individual incidents and imply personal responsibilities to solve the problem. In contrast, news coverage in the US suggests wife abuse is embedded in society that needs social interventions and laws to address this social problem.

Conclusion: New media plays a major role in changing public perceptions on the extent to which wife abuse is perceived as a social problem rather than an isolated deviance. It is suggested that news coverage should prevent gender stereotypes of women’s subordination status and encourage victims to seek social resources.

Author

• Jia Xue, University of Pennsylvania