| Abstract: | Despite mounting research on how the news media portrayed climate change in developed countries, disproportionately little attention was paid to one of the top greenhouse gas emitters in the world—China. This study systematically examined and compared how the US and Chinese newspapers portrayed climate change. An analytical framework, grounded in framing research traditions, took into account both theoretical and practical challenges in frame analysis by creating a hybrid structure of interlocked generic and issue-specific frames. The results showed both convergent and divergent pictures from the two countries’ newspapers shaped distinctly by the sociopolitical realities in both countries. The research also cautioned against making simplistic explanations of the results and offered culturally informed interpretations. A discussion on better research focus and design was offered for future research in this avenue. |
