Watching the Middle Kingdom: American Reactions to CCTV America

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Interactive Paper Session: Mass Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Employing original pre- and post-test survey data collected in late 2012, this study assesses CCTV America as a Chinese government-sponsored public diplomacy effort. In the pre-test we measured respondents’ degree of familiarity with, and feelings toward, China and Chinese government-sponsored media products. Respondents were then shown three short reports produced by CCTV America. In the post-test that followed we measured whether there had been significant changes in respondents’ views of China or Chinese government-sponsored media products. We also collected information about respondents’ appraisals of the channel’s journalistic value. Our findings offer both an accounting of American reactions to CCTV America and a data-driven assessment of the channel’s possible effects on American opinion about China.

Author

• Emily T. Metzgar, Indiana U