Heroes In White Coats: Media Framing of Doctors in China Daily’s COVID-19 Coverage

Abstract

This study examines how China Daily, China's leading English-language state newspaper, framed doctors during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic using Ghanem's (1997) multidimensional framing framework. Employing a quantitative content analysis supplemented by illustrative excerpts, 286 news articles published in 2020 were systematically analysed across four framing dimensions: presentation, topic, cognitive, and affective attributes. The findings reveal a systematic framing pattern that elevated doctors' visibility through prominent news placement, extensive use of official sources, and sustained editorial attention. Thematically, coverage centred on doctor-patient harmony, medical professionalism, and collective efforts to combat the pandemic. Cognitively, doctors were constructed through six recurring images and one residual category, most prominently as authoritative leaders, selfless heroes, and dedicated professionals who embodied competence, sacrifice, and national responsibility. Affectively, reporting was overwhelmingly positive (98.3%), reinforcing doctors' moral legitimacy and projecting confidence in China's healthcare system and governmental response. We interpret these framing dimensions as an integrated narrative system aligned with institutional trust-building and China's international public diplomacy, although audience effects were not measured. This consistently positive portrayal left limited room for doctors' psychological burdens, workplace risks, and professional challenges. The study demonstrates that framing operates not as isolated textual devices but as an interconnected process through which state media construct professional legitimacy during crises. By extending Ghanem's multidimensional framing framework to the context of health communication, this research contributes to framing theory and offers practical insights into the role of state-led media in representing healthcare professionals during public health emergencies.