A study on the presentation of China’s COVID-19 news in American mainstream media: party logic and mirror image effect hypothesis

Why this story matters to you

The way news outlets talk about other countries is not just about distant events; it also quietly shapes how we see our own leaders and institutions. This study looks at how two major U.S. television news networks, CNN and Fox News, covered China’s COVID-19 outbreak during the 2020 presidential election, and shows that these stories doubled as a subtle mirror for American politics at home. Understanding this pattern helps everyday viewers become more aware of how international news can influence their feelings about their own government and public health system.

Two channels, two audiences

The researchers focused on CNN and Fox News because their audiences lean in opposite political directions: Democrats tend to trust CNN, while Republicans tend to trust Fox. Using computer scripts and careful screening, the authors collected thousands of pandemic-related articles and narrowed them down to 196 straightforward news reports about COVID-19 in China, published between January 2020 and May 2021. Opinion pieces, interviews, and editorials were excluded to concentrate on what is supposed to be “just the facts” news. Each paragraph in these reports was then coded as positive, negative, or neutral toward China’s handling of the pandemic, following clear rules grounded in media research.

How the coverage was measured

To judge the tone of coverage, a trained team read every paragraph and assigned scores based on whether China was described in favorable, unfavorable, or neutral ways. Several classic ideas from media studies guided this process. Framing research shows that the facts reporters choose to highlight can nudge audiences toward certain judgments. Gatekeeping theory emphasizes that news organizations decide what enters public conversation in the first place. A constructivist view of journalism argues that news does not simply reflect reality but actively builds a version of it. By turning each paragraph into a number and checking that different coders agreed with one another, the study built a reliable picture of whether each article leaned positive, negative, or somewhere in between.

What the numbers reveal

Both CNN and Fox News were, on the whole, negative about China’s pandemic response, but in different ways. Fox News was strongly negative from start to finish and gradually talked about China’s outbreak less as the U.S. situation worsened. CNN, by contrast, began with a mix that included more positive descriptions of China’s containment efforts, then grew sharply more negative after Joe Biden secured the presidency. Statistical tests showed that CNN’s tone shifted in step with key phases of the election, while Fox’s tone stayed consistently hostile but its volume of coverage dropped. For both outlets, stories about China’s COVID-19 outbreak became less frequent over time, suggesting a deliberate choice to change focus as U.S. politics and the domestic health crisis evolved.

The “mirror image” idea

To explain these patterns, the authors propose what they call a “mirror image effect.” The idea is that international news is not only about “them” but also about “us.” When Fox News heavily criticized China early in the pandemic, its Republican-leaning audience could feel reassured that the United States was doing comparatively well. As the virus spread in America and China’s situation improved, Fox toned down its attention to China, likely to avoid highlighting a contrast that would reflect badly on the Trump administration. CNN showed the opposite rhythm: by praising aspects of China’s response while Trump was in office, it indirectly highlighted U.S. shortcomings; once Biden won, CNN’s coverage became more negative toward China, reducing the risk of unflattering comparisons with the new administration. In both cases, stories about a faraway outbreak acted as a mirror for viewers to judge their own government.

Why this changes how we should watch the news

The study concludes that partisan logic—whether a network leans more Republican or Democratic—shapes not only how foreign crises are described but also when and how often they are covered. International news about China’s COVID-19 response was used to send signals about American leadership and public health performance, even when no U.S. official was mentioned. The authors argue that this raises ethical concerns in times of global crisis, when accurate, less politicized information is crucial. They suggest stronger newsroom safeguards and better media education that teaches people to spot how coverage of other countries can be used to influence opinions at home. For everyday news consumers, the takeaway is simple: when you watch stories about distant places, remember that you may be looking into a carefully polished mirror of your own society.

Citation: Gao, C., Fan, J. A study on the presentation of China’s COVID-19 news in American mainstream media: party logic and mirror image effect hypothesis. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 13, 326 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06650-0

Keywords: media bias, COVID-19 coverage, US China relations, partisan news, public opinion