Introduction to Global Media and China’s Special Issue on COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the lives of people around the globe. As of February 2022, the coronavirus has spread to 193 countries and regions worldwide, with about 378 million known infections and over 5.6 million deaths attributable to the disease (Johns Hopkins University, 2022). While the virus’s impact on health has been devastating, the pandemic impacted nearly every aspect of public life, including nationwide “lockdowns,” dramatic declines in economic output, rampant unemployment, political disputes about masking, and thousands of news stories about the origin and consequences of the pandemic. While there are indications that the number of new infections has finally passed its peak, the social, cultural, and political consequences of the pandemic will be long-lasting. One noticeable effect of the pandemic on public life has been the growing conflict over masking and vaccination mandates in the United States and Europe. Driven by deep political divisions among politicians and citizens alike, refusals to comply with these mandates have undoubtedly increased the number of deaths attributed to the coronavirus disease. There is also little doubt that former President Trump’s frequent use of the derogatory term “Chinese virus” in his speeches, tweets, and press conferences negatively influenced public perceptions of Asians living in the United States. Trump’s efforts to blame China for the worldwide spread of coronavirus likely encouraged some Americans to not only blame Asians for the pandemic but also physically attack them. Between March 19, 2020 and September 30, 2021, Stop AAPI Hate, a research organization