A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Tokyo Olympics Reports by the Chinese Media and American Media

Taking Fairclough’s three-dimensional model as a theoretical framework, the present study aims to make a contrastive analysis both qualitatively and quantitatively of the reports of the Tokyo Olympics Reports by China Daily and The New York Times. The study finds that the two media show some similarities on the textual level, which conform to the characteristics of news coverage. But the two media display different focus on description and lexical classification, which indicate China’s and America’s variance in ideological stances. On the discourse-practice level, different use of news sources and reporting modes demonstrate the inclination of the two countries. China Daily focuses on the global expectation and effective measures taken by organizers with specific linguistic techniques, demonstrating the Chinese pursuit of cooperation, inclusiveness and openness with a positive attitude towards the Olympic Games. By contrast, The New York Times emphasizes the negative aspects of this meeting and expresses a disapproving attitude, showing America’s individualism and pursuit of profit.