Discourse analysis of economic news articles from news agencies in the United States and China

This research investigated the cultural dimensions in economic news articles from news agencies in the United States and China, with a focus on the two countries’ economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This study collected data from economic news articles from the CNN and SCMP news websites. The total number of the economic news articles used in the analyses was 60. The economic news articles from CNN and SCMP websites were analyzed through discourse analysis, specifically Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory. The results in each country were compared with Hofstede’s cultural dimension scores to analyze the similarities and differences between the general situation and the COVID-19 pandemic situation. In addition, the result of two countries were compared to find similarities and differences in how they deal with the COVID-19 situation. The results of this study show that the United States has strong uncertainty avoidance and is a collectivistic society, while China has strong uncertainty avoidance. This study also shows that the United States is a small power distance culture and a short-term oriented society, while China is a large power distance culture and a long-term oriented society.