Document Type

Journal Article

Department/Unit

Department of Journalism

Title

Framing distance: Local vs. non-local news in Hong Kong press

Language

English

Abstract

Geographical location as a "natural" attribute of news has always been a source of news manipulation. This research investigates how different community newspapers select, interpret, and package events originating in places of varying distances. Contextualized in Hong Kong, three media frames (authority, conflict, and attribution) are closely examined and theoretically connected to three types of newspapers (mass appeal, elite, and pro-establishment) across four locales (local, mainland China, Asian, and international). To test the hypotheses, a large-scale content analysis of 14 daily newspapers in Hong Kong was conducted. On the whole, findings supported the three hypotheses, showing that local news was systematically differentiated from non-local news in terms of the frequency of political authorities cited, presence of diversified opinions, and the likelihood of either individuals or institutions being blamed for social wrongs. Considerable variations were detected across different types of newspapers as well. Theoretical and social implications of the empirical findings are discussed. © 2011 The Communication Research Centre.

Keywords

Hong kong press, Local vs. non-local news, News distance, News grid

Publication Date

2011

Source Publication Title

Chinese Journal of Communication

Volume

4

Issue

1

Start Page

21

End Page

39

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

DOI

10.1080/17544750.2011.544080

ISSN (print)

17544750

ISSN (electronic)

17544769

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