Discourse strategies in news media: A corpus-based comparison of Chinese and US conflict reporting

Abstract

This article explores the discourse construction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as represented within Chinese and US mainstream media. The study uses a corpus-based discourse-historical approach to compare the nomination and predicative strategies employed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict discourse. In doing so, we used a self-built corpus of Chinese media reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a corpus of US media reports. The findings of the study indicate that Chinese and US media prioritize distinct primary social actors. Chinese media often portray Israel as the “out-group” and Palestine as the “in-group,” emphasizing China's dedication to peace, justice, and the pursuit of a comprehensive, equitable, and nonviolent resolution to the Palestinian issue. In contrast, US media present a more nuanced portrayal of Israel and Palestine as both “in-group” and “out-group” entities; however, they accord greater prominence to Israel's “in-group” image and Palestine's “out-group” image, thereby mirroring the United States’ explicit pro-Israel position and its diplomatic commitments to counterterrorism and the promotion of international humanitarian principles. The study makes a substantial contribution by elucidating the linguistic variations in the discourse construction of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within Chinese and US mainstream media.