Othering in the times of coronavirus? Analysis of the coverage of a major health crisis by the China correspondents of El País and ABC

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate the cultural representations in the early coverage of the coronavirus crisis by the China correspondents of two Spanish newspapers: El País and ABC. An exhaustive sample of the correspondents’ coverage has been gathered and examined through a critical discourse analysis. After reviewing 89 news stories, this study finds that Chinese authorities are the main social actor represented by both newspapers, because the coverage focuses on the Government’s response to the epidemic and its effects on society. China’s lack of transparency is the prevailing story line for both outlets. With the exception of Doctor Li Wenliang, the public face of the coronavirus crisis in China, people affected by the virus are usually represented as speechless statistics and, thus, othered.

KEYWORDS: coronavirus, Covid-19, foreign correspondents, intercultural communication, ideological square, story lines.