Tk. Chang et al., THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF INTERNATIONAL IMAGERY IN THE POST-COLD-WARERA - A COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF US AND CHINESE NATIONAL TV-NEWS, Journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 42(3), 1998, pp. 277-296
Against the backdrop of the post-Cold War world and within the frame-w
ork of the social construction of reality, this paper argues that soci
al structure, both internal and external, is a major influence on the
news. Using data collected during a 26-day period from China's CCTV an
d the United States' ABC, this study examines how the form and content
of international imagery are socially constructed. Results show that
the worlds created by ABC and CCN apparently were molded according to
the logic of views from ''here and there'' that are bound up with the
social location of the respective news organization. The social constr
uction of reality perspective suggests that the selection and presenta
tion of news on the two networks depend not so much on the properties
of the event or issue itself, but rather on its position in the broade
r social structure relative to ifs external context.