Second-Level Agenda Building and Mediated Public Diplomacy: Examining China’s Use of the Xinhua News Agency in Promoting President Xi

• In Event: Political/Government Public Relations

Abstract

Mediated public diplomacy scholarship investigates the manner in which governments attempt to shape the framing of its leaders, people and foreign policy in other nations' media outlets. A growing body of literature identifies agenda building efforts by these governments who often use state sponsored media platforms to promote some issues and attributes as more salient than others. The current study provides a unique examination of China’s use of its Xinhua news agency as an information subsidy for American news outlets. the results of our study found some support for issue salience transfer between the news media of the two nations. Furthermore, we found a significant intermedia agenda setting effect between the American news outlets. Results are discussed in the context of global political public relations and mediated public diplomacy scholarship.

Authors

• Zhuqing Cheng, Syracuse U

• Guy J. Golan, Syracuse U

• Spiro K. Kiousis, U of Florida