Representation of Autism in Leading Newspapers in China: A Content Analysis

Abstract

The public’s lack of understanding and the public’s misconceptions about autism in China contribute to the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of the disorder and the stigma associated with it. Mass media are the primary channel through which people learn about autism. This article examines how leading newspapers in China covered autism in the 10-year period of 2003 through 2012 through a framing analysis. It finds that while autism has received increased media attention, it is increasingly framed as a family problem—family members are cited or quoted more than any other sources and the responsibility of dealing with autism is ultimately assigned to families. Autistic people are largely silenced unless they are autistic savants with special talents. The use of the scientific discourse and the human-interest discourse both decrease over time in percentage, while the use of other discourses such as the public relations discourse becomes more dominant.

Notes

¹ Surreptitious advertisements are also called “soft advertisements” in China. This refers to advertisements disguised as regular news stories to promote a company or a product (Kim, Pasadeos, & Barban, 2001).

² This includes those articles that used the human-interest discourse only as well as those articles that used a combined human-interest and scientific discourse.

³ This includes those articles that used the scientific discourse only as well as those articles that used a combined human-interest and scientific discourse.