Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/52638

This paper examines Chinese media reports regarding the Great East Japan Earthquake, and discusses the potential of the Chinese media's international news reporting in the context of globalization. Within China, international news reporting has been dominated by state media such as the Xinhua News Agency and The People's Daily. The content of such reporting is controlled by the Chinese government according to Chinese foreign policy, and the volume of information is small. However, with the benefi ts of globalization, commercial media has begun to participate in international news reporting, thus potentially changing this situation. By focusing on two popular newspapers in China — the Global Times and the Southern Metropolis Daily — and analyzing the content and tone of their reports regarding the Great East Japan Earthquake, this paper argues that with different reporting ideals and viewpoints, reflecting differences in newspaper ownership, these newspapers tend to display distinct characteristics in international news content. Moreover, as those media outlets try to fi nd their own original content to report, one can see an increasing potential for improvement in China's international news reports.