The coverage of China in Belgian television news: a case study on the impact of foreign correspondents on news content

Abstract

This study examines the difference that stationing a foreign correspondent can make for news coverage. We focus on the particular case of the news coverage of China on Belgian television. In Belgium, the public broadcaster decided to station a correspondent in China for an extended period of time, while the private commercial competitor did not do so. Drawing on a database of news coverage of China before and after the deployment of the correspondent in China (2005–2009), this study compares the news content for the quantity and issue diversity of the coverage of China, actors in the news, actor coverage, tone, nuance, and focus on everyday life. We conclude that, while foreign correspondents deliver the expected quality of news coverage on many fronts at the same time, generally they are not able to make a significant difference in the news to the overall picture of that faraway country.

Keywords:

• foreign news
• China
• Belgium
• television news
• foreign correspondent

Notes

^1. Belgium is a linguistically segregated federal country. There are Dutch-speaking and French-speaking people, forming two communities, each with its own media landscape. When we speak of Belgium in this paper, we refer to the largest community, which is Flanders, the Dutch-speaking community.

^2. Personal Interview, Wim Willems, editor-in-chief of the VRT (public broadcaster), 2 June 2009.

^3. Personal Interview, Wim Willems, editor-in-chief of the VRT (public broadcaster), 2 June 2009; Personal Interview, Stef Wauters, editor-in-chief of the VTM (private channel), 15 June 2009.

^4. Personal Interview, Wim Willems, editor-in-chief of the VRT (public broadcaster), 2 June 2009.

^5. Personal Interview, Stef Wauters, editor-in-chief of the VTM (private channel), 15 June 2009.

^6. Personal Interview, Inge Vrancken, head of the foreign news desk, VRT (public broadcaster), 2 June 2009.

^7. Negative coverage on China involved human rights issues (Tibet, political prisoners, and the death penalty), limited freedom of the press, totalitarianism, corruption, indifference to individual suffering, environmental problems, and so forth. Positive mentions involved praise for the great organization of the Olympics, opening up for more freedom, reference to progress in political reform towards Western standards, mentions of good policy by the Chinese government, and so forth.

^8. Economic news includes financial news, trade, employment, mobility and communication. International news includes issues of international cooperation, war and peace. Politics involves issues such as institutional reform, elections, organization of parliament and government, civil society, and state ideology.

^9. We distinguish between two kinds of elite actors: Chinese government actors (including politicians of all levels, civil servants, police and military in China) and other elite actors (mainly foreign politicians and representatives of international organizations).