Whataboutism with foreign affairs: How Chinese media leverage foreign news for distraction and legitimation

Shen, Shuyuan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129698 Copy

Description

Title

Whataboutism with foreign affairs: How Chinese media leverage foreign news for distraction and legitimation

Author(s)

Shen, Shuyuan

Issue Date

2025-04-18

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Althaus, Scott

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Althaus, Scott

Committee Member(s)

• Winters, Matthew Stephen
• Webb Williams, Nora
• Yang, Yujeong

Department of Study

Political Science

Discipline

Political Science

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Chinese Politics
• Authoritarian Propaganda
• Foreign News

Language

eng

Abstract

This dissertation examines the strategic use of foreign news as a propaganda tool in authoritarian regimes, focusing on China. While prior research emphasizes domestic narratives in authoritarian propaganda, this study highlights foreign news as a distinct form of propaganda for distraction and legitimation. Analyzing approximately two million social media posts from twelve major Chinese media outlets between 2011 and 2023, the dissertation first reveals that Chinese foreign news coverage focuses heavily on Western democracies, regional rivals, and the Middle East. Geographic and economic proximities increase a country’s media visibility, while cultural and political distances attract greater attention. The extensive coverage of foreign rivals rather than politically proximate countries as existing literature suggests indicates potential strategic intent. The dissertation then demonstrates that negative foreign news is strategically employed during economic downturns to distract public focus from domestic concerns. Statistical analyses link rising inflation and public attention to inflation and unemployment to increased negative coverage of foreign economic and political affairs. A pre-registered survey experiment confirms that negative foreign news effectively shifts attention away from domestic issues, outperforming positive domestic propaganda as a distraction instrument. Moreover, negative foreign news reinforces authoritarian legitimacy by exploiting national identity, anti-foreign predispositions, and cognitive negativity biases. Experimental and observational evidence confirms that such coverage undermines perceptions of foreign democracies while bolstering domestic regime support. Finally, the dissertation extends the study of foreign-focused information to foreign political entertainment, revealing that its influence on public perceptions is modest and inconsistent with a second survey experiment in China. By integrating insights from communication studies, political psychology, and authoritarian politics, this research expands the understanding of propaganda strategies and the political influence of foreign-focused information in non-democratic contexts.

Graduation Semester

2025-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129698

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Shuyuan Shen

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