Delivering Chinese voices to Australian audiences: CCTV's search for congruence between its frames and those of audiences

This project explored firstly how China’s image is framed by public diplomacy (PD) elites in China and Australia and their views on the role of media in soft power generation and projection; and secondly, with the case of One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR), China’s most recent comprehensive strategy to generate wider cooperation and prosperity in a wide arc of countries; how China’s discourse is framed comparatively by its own media channel CCTV NEWS (now CGTN) and intended target audiences to examine congruence. CCTV NEWS has adopted the multinational formula exemplified by CNN by incorporating Western anchors and Western news production values. The practice culture as an index of framing culture had also been discussed to make sense of the frame construction under China’s current institution and possible frame reception among audiences The research is situated under symbolic interactionism and the constructivist approach to analyse the information flow under the constructivist international relations. It is ideographic, interpretive and qualitative and does not seek to prove causality, though it does recognise that Chinese PD elites have an intention to influence and treat audiences as targets. In-depth interviews, observation and online focus group discussion have been used as data-collecting methods and framing analysis was used for the analysis of the collected data, plus the state documents and CCTV NEWS features on OBOR. Frames from CCTV programs about OBOR were found to have limited congruence with those of Australian stakeholders in China-Australia relations despite the program format and quality being rendered similar to Western models through the use of Western anchors, journalists and production values. There is the obstacle of stereotypical frames of China that needs to be carefully studied and addressed. In networked society wherein public diplomacy prevails, media as a channel of projection shows its limitation in leading discourse; but the mobilisation among media practitioners grant media outlets a dual role, as both a tool and a network hub.