Abstract

This study examines how China’s national image was constructed in media coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics through a comparative critical discourse analysis of reporting by China Daily and CNN. Employing Fairclough’s three-dimensional model and corpus linguistics techniques, we analyzed a corpus of 60 China Daily articles (31,759 tokens) and 33 CNN articles (31,934 tokens) published during the Games (February 4–20, 2022). Keywords analysis revealed striking differences in reporting focus: China Daily emphasized development, cooperation, and international harmony using predominantly positive language, while CNN concentrated on human rights issues, LGBTQ+ representation, and political controversies through more critical framing. These divergent portrayals reflect underlying ideological orientations and socio-cultural contexts. China Daily adopted a macro-level perspective highlighting collective achievement and global solidarity, consistent with China’s communal values and historical continuity. Conversely, CNN employed a micro-level approach focusing on individual rights and minority concerns, reflecting America’s pluralistic cultural identity. Our findings demonstrate that national images are not static but dynamically constructed through ideologically-informed discourse, with media narratives serving strategic objectives even in contexts ostensibly dedicated to international cooperation. This research contributes to understanding how national identities are negotiated through both self-representation and external portrayal in international media, revealing the pervasiveness of political discourse in sports coverage.

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