Name: Wenjun Dai student number: 44632898

Comparison of Chinese and western news discourse on

‘Chinese smog’: A critical discourse analysis

Introduction:

News demonstrates objective report towards to recent events

and current affairs. Reading news not only bring individuals
enormous enjoyment but also sharp their general knowledge, it
could broaden people’s horizon and open people’s eyes by
providing timely, objective and abundant information. News is a
kind of constantly updated and continuous text without
conclusions. It emphasizes society on the basis of "repeated,
regular and planned" Tolson (1996). However, the large amount
of information provided in news reports can greatly influence
public understanding of social problems and affect the public
perception of social reality. As Fowler (1991) mentioned, with
any other discourse, the content presented in the news is
selected according to a set of standards and values that are
carefully constructed to support an interest. Therefore, news is
not a free reflection of "fact". Implications in the official news
report generally tend to be misread, due to social ideology,
value orientation and many other factors. Consequently, how to
evaluate the news is very important. In terms of this, comparing
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the same topic report from different publishers could increase

their critical thinking ability and enable learners to critically
assess issues around the complexities of language acquisition
and use in multilingual societies and communities.

This essay aims to explore the way discourse of news

constructed through the analysis of news reports on Chinese
Smog in British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and China
Daily (See the appendix) and compare the difference between
eastern and western media. Frist, theoretical backgrounds is
proposed to explain the process of analysis, which is then
followed by the detailed analysis of the news. In addition, what
cause the difference will be discussed. Lastly, conclusions will
summarize the main findings of this essay.

Methodology:

In order to achieve the aim of this essay, it will choose two

different newspaper to analyze, BBC and China daily. Because
they present two different types of readers. China daily’s readers
are mostly Chinese, whereas BBC has mass appeal, and its
readers are primarily from all over the world. In this essay,
Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is used as a basis for
investigate the discourse in the news. As (Van Dijk,
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2015) pointed out that discourse analytical research is mainly to

study the text in social and political context through examining
the way how social-power abuse and inequality are reproduced,
enacted resisted and legitimated. Moreover, CDA is aimed to
deconstruct the underlying assumptions in discourse to make
invisible power relations visible (Fairclough & Wodak, 1997).
From the perspective of CDA, systemic-functional grammar
plays an important role due to the three functions of language:
the textual function, the interpersonal function and the ideational
function (Halliday, 2001). This essay will follow CDA’s three-
stage procedure (Fairclough,1989): description, interpretation
and explanation and systemic-functional grammar (Halliday,
2001) to analyze the news and compares the make a
comparative analysis of the discursive strategies of the two
newspapers by using the analysis tools of lexical choice,
transitivity and modality then reveal the difference attitudes
towards to Chinese smog between western and eastern media.
These differences are related to originate in the difference of
ideological standpoints between Western and China countries
and maintaining the power relationship. Finally, discuss and
explain the findings from the perspective of news values, social
and institutional factors, and reporters’ ideologies.
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Lexical choice:

Lexical choice is a great significance to the analysis of news

discourse, because it represents the author's point of view and
evaluation of social issues. In those smog-related reports, when
talk about the air pollution, the writing style of BBC news is
very solemn and it uses many words like ‘bad, disaster, crisis,
enormous, definitely’ to describe that the problem is quite urgent
and emphasis that air pollution has seriously affected People's
daily life which make the readers feel incredible and worried
about the difficulty of political work. However, China daily put
more words like ‘improvements, protection, the most noticeable,
increase’ in the text, which present that the government has
taken effective measures and give readers a positive attitude by
seeing the regulation results and give them confidence in the
future.

Transitivity:

Transitivity embodies ideational function of language and

Halliday (1985) believed that transitivity is the basis of people's
description, it divides what people do, see and hear into
different processes. There are six different process types:
material, behavioral, mental, verbal, relational and existential

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and they are connected with two components: participants and

circumstance. A process in the real world can be described as
different types of processes in transitivity. It can also be
described by the same type of process, but it needs to change the
position of participants. The selection of process in discourse
and the position of participants all reflect ideology
(Fowler,1991).

For example, there are three sentences from the news:

(1) The air quality is so bad. (BBC, 2014)

(2) Setting targets for air quality improvements. (BBC, 2014)

(3) China has taken many measures to see continuous

improvements in air quality since 2013. (China daily, 2018)

In terms of the environmental pollution report, people always

concentrate on the solutions and how serious the pollution is.
For sentence (1) it classified as a rational clause and it only
describes a phenomenon which present that the air quality is not
good, whereas it does not mention any other information about
what cause this problem and how to solve this problem.
Additionally, sentence (2) and (3) are belongs to material
process clause, although their participants are in different

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positions. Sentence (2) omitted the actor, whereas sentence (3)

put actor in the beginning and put the object after the verb. From
sentence (1) to sentence (3), the description of the event became
clearer and the language process sentence (3) is the closest to
the real process, by contrast, some details of the actual process
are intentionally hidden in sentence (1) and (2). The same
structure can be found in the following sentence:

(4) The scale of the problem is enormous. (BBC, 2014)

(5) The country began to experience a steady increase in

pollution. (China daily, 2018)

As a result, we can see that BBC often use metaphor sentence

which may moderately exaggerate the problems while Chinese
media often try to state the facts to beautify problems and
seldom use derogatory language to avoid ambiguity. As
Fairclough (1992) pointed out that the choice of which one to
expresses the real process has important cultural, political and
ideological significance.

Modality:

Modality express the interpersonal function and it is the

judgment made by the speaker from cognitive and evaluative
aspect on the state of what is said. Cognitive attitude stands for
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the realty, belief, possibility and definiteness whereas evaluative

attitude present desirability, preference, intention and
manipulate. In news discourse, speakers often use modality to
convey their implicit ideology and political intention. The
purpose of modality comparison is to find out the authors’
attitude and reveal the real intention.

(6) The weather could still worsen in some regions during

specific periods, so controls must be continued. (China daily,
2017)

In sentence (6), the journalist uses the modal verb ‘must’ to

express his subjective attitude and stresses that measures must
be taken to prevent the weather from getting worse which brings
the reader closer by making them identify. At the same time,
‘Must’ conveys a coercive attitude, thus, the authoritarianism of
the media can be seen obviously.

(7) The improvement in air quality in 2017 is the most

noticeable. (China daily, 2018)

(8) The findings are similar to information released earlier by

the Ministry of Environmental Protection. (China daily, 2018)

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(9) This is certainly an environmental disaster and a public

health crisis. But it also has the potential to become a huge
political problem. (BBC, 2014)

These sentences all use the present tense, which has a particular
function in English and it is usually used to express general
truths, unchanging situations, habits and fixed arrangements.
Thus, it can be speculated that environmental pollution and
governance are not an accident, but a long-term problem of the
government and society. In the report about Chinese smog,
Chinese journalists certainly report on solutions the central
government's response and policies to tackle environmental
problems while British journalists pay more attention to
environmental issues and linked these issue to politics.

In addition, passive voice can effectively disguise causality and

behavior and blur the relationship between the audience and the
action.

(10) The government has now pledged to reduce pollution,

and in so doing has raised expectations. (BBC, 2014)

(11) Credit should be given to the effective controls on

pollutant emissions (China daily, 2018)

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Sentence (10) stated that the action is the government, and

suggesting that the government has an inescapable responsibility
for the problem of environmental pollution. Whereas sentence
(11) is unaccountable and it does not point out the actuator.
Putting the ‘credit’ in the beginning of the sentence distract the
reader’s attention to concentrate on the credit instead of thinking
about who will give the credit. In this way, the authoritativeness
in the text could be highlighted. (Halliday,1985)

However, in English, besides modal verbs, modal adjectives,

and modal adverbs, personal pronouns, substantive verbs,
tenses, and direct and indirect quotations also can express
modality. (Halliday,1985)

Discussion:

According to three-dimensional framework (Fairclough,1989),

in terms of explanation, this part will demonstrate distinction
from the news value, social determinants and ideology, so as to
reveal the reasons behind the different discourse strategies of
different newspaper reporters.

News is the result of selection and transformation of a real

social event. It is not simply based on natural or original news
value but based on a set of standards of newsworthiness

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(Fowler,1991). In the modern world, publishers are more like

businessmen they tend to choose events with more commercial
value. China's severe smog issue is the focus of public attention
and also attracted the attention of foreign media. British media
try to report the news by their own understanding and it takes a
more objective view to the contribution of the Chinese
environmental authorities and government. In contrast, Chinese
journalists have chosen position that can express Chinese
confidence and optimism towards to the air pollution. It is clear
that the role of the news media is in the interest of their country.

News discourse is not a fact or reality, but an expression of

ideological pattern, which conveys ideology and power
relationship. Social and institutional factors are the elements of
news discourse (Fowler,1991). Consequently, BBC and China
daily utilize different social and institutional ideologies to
choose smog-related report. On the one hand, journalists work
hard to defend their government's position, so their ideology is
inevitably embedded in the news. On the other hand, with the
rapid economic and military development in China, Britain is
increasingly aware of the threat posed the development. Because
of this, different political systems between the two countries

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could be the another reason for different stance in the news

report.

In terms of ideology, the values and positions of journalists

represent the positions of the news organizations they work for.
China Daily focuses on praise for China, sharping the image of
positive and optimistic Chinese citizens as well as efficient and
responsible government and authorities. Chinese media regard
smog as an environmental event and suggest that wide-spread
report is a good opportunity to improve China's image on the
international stage. On the contrary, the BBC’s report connects
to many other sensitive issues, such as the political and
economic problems, to convince readers believe that China is
struggling with its all sorts of dilemmas. By this way, the British
media tried to demonize China’s international image.

Conclusion：

In summary, the news discourse in the china’s smog is found by

adopting Critical Discourse Analysis framework suggested by
Fairclough (2001). This essay analyzes the news through the
description, interpretation and explanation of the smog-related
report. Additionally, based on systematic functional grammar
(Halliday,1985), vocabulary, grammar and text structure are
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considered as analytical tools. Specifically, lexical choice

decides the writing style of this report, transitivity provides
journalists with a choice of words to express their ideological
positions and attitudes in the report. Different modalities are
used to reframe the reader's mind by different purpose
journalists. From the perspective of news value, social system
factors and journalists ideology. It is found out that news
reporting is actually an interactive process between text and
institutions and both of the medias are stand for their own
government’s stance. Western media tends to associate
environmental issues with politics and defame china by
expressing the inaction of the Chinese government. At the same
time, the Chinese media hold a positive attitude to express their
opinions and seldom directly question the government. This
analysis also means that news reports are actually embedded in
some ideology.

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Reference:

Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman.

Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Cambridge,

England: Polity Press.

Fairclough, N., & Wodak, R. (1997). Critical discourse analysis. In

T. A. van Dijk (Ed.), Discourse as social interaction (pp. 258-

284). London, England: SAGE.

Fowler R (1991) Languages in the News: Discourse and Ideology in

the Press.

Halliday, M.A.K.(1985) An Introduction to Functional Grammar

［M］.London: Edward Arnold

Halliday, M. A. K. (2001). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social

Interpretation of Language and Meaning. London: Edward

Amold

Tolson A (1996) Mediations: Text and Discourse in Media Studies.

London: Arnold.

London and New York: Routledge

Van Dijk, T.A., 2015, 'Critical discourse analysis' in Tannen, D.,

Hamilton, H.E. and Schiffrin, D., 2015, The Handbook of

Discourse Analysis, second edition, pp. 466–85. London,

Wiley.
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Appendix：
Understanding the politics of Chinese smog
By Jo Floto
BBC News, 2014
The pollution currently blanketing northern China is an
extraordinary and unnatural phenomenon. The air quality is so bad it's
comparable to living near a forest fire. The scale of the consequences to
human health are only beginning to be understood. Air pollution is
thought to cut life expectancy in northern China by five years compared
to the south of the country. One study estimated pollution caused 1.2
million premature deaths a year in the country - and the real impact may
be even worse than those figures suggest.
This is certainly an environmental disaster and a public health crisis.
But it also has the potential to become a huge political problem. After
years of denying the issue really existed, the central government has
recently accepted that pollution is of genuine concern. It now publishes
figures for the air quality in China's major cities (the accuracy of some is
still contested), and in 2013 promised $275bn (£165bn) to tackle the issue
in the next five years, setting targets for air quality improvements.
'Real victims'
This shift in government stance has come in part because pollution is
getting worse but also because of a change in the public awareness of
environmental issues. As poverty recedes into the past for millions in
China, health is now becoming more important than wealth. And they
expect the government to act.
A newspaper in northern China has this week reported what appears
to be the first case of an individual suing the government for failing to
curb air pollution. The Yanzhao Metropolis Daily newspaper quoted the
complainant, Li Guixin from Shijiazhuang, as saying "the reason I'm
proposing compensation is to let every citizen see that amid this haze,
we're the real victims".
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China has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty; it's also shifted
their priorities. The government has now pledged to reduce pollution, and
in so doing has raised expectations.
The political risk for the Communist Party comes if those
expectations are not met. Unlike other government promises, people will
be able to judge success and failure on pollution simply by looking out of
their window.
And the scale of the problem is enormous. China's pollution crisis
has been a long time coming. The reliance on coal, the rise of the car,
along with the soaring energy demand of an ever-growing economy, have
all meant more dirty air. Predictably so. Reducing pollution will require
wholesale structural change, not just in how and where energy is
produced, but how it is priced.
It will probably mean sacrificing some economic growth in favour
of quality of life. To do all of that will mean confronting some of the
most entrenched vested interests in China's economy, and inside the
Communist Party itself.
How the pollution issue is handled in the next few years will tell us a
lot about China's government, its changing relationship to its people, and
its ability to make difficult decisions.

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Progress in fighting smog

By ZHENG JINRAN
China Daily, 2018
China has taken many measures to see continuous improvements in
air quality since 2013, when pollution levels hit a record high, with
another drop in "smoggy days" recorded last year, according to
meteorological data.
Starting in 2000, the country began to experience a steady increase
in pollution, reaching a peak in 2013 when it experienced 13 rounds of
smog, data from the National Meteorological Center show.
However, since the central government introduced its Action Plan
on Air Pollution Control and Prevention that year, the smog has lessened
in intensity, according to a bulletin on atmospheric environment released
by the center on Sunday.
"The improvement in air quality in 2017 is the most noticeable,"
said Zhang Hengde, the center's senior engineer.
Monitoring stations across China recorded just 27.5 "smoggy days"
on average last year, 19.4 days fewer than in 2013, he said, adding that
the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region saw the biggest change: from 71.1 days
down to 42.3.
Chinese meteorological centers use the term "smoggy days" to
describe poor air quality based on factors such as PM2.5 (fine hazardous
particulate matter), visibility and humidity. But its measurements can
differ from the indexes used by environmental protection authorities.
Long-term data from the center show the country has also seen a
steady decrease in sandy weather since 2010.
Zhang attributed the progress last year to government efforts to curb
pollution as well as the high number of windy days, especially in winter
months. "Credit should be given to the effective controls on pollutant
emissions," he said.
Simulations based on the center's meteorological monitoring show
measures to reduce pollutant emissions nationwide managed to cut the

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daily average PM2.5 concentration by 43.5 percent last year compared

with the level in 2013.
The findings are similar to information released earlier by the
Ministry of Environmental Protection, which said the average PM2.5
concentration had fallen by 44.2 percent over the same period.
However, Zhang warned that despite the positive trend, the weather
could still worsen in some regions during specific periods, so controls
must be continued.
"We will continue to cooperate with the environmental protection
authorities to provide monitoring and forecasts on air pollution," he
added.

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