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Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science

ISSN Online: 2576-0548 Downloads: 1273495 Total View: 8504365
Frequency: monthly ISSN Print: 2576-0556 CODEN: JHASAY
Email: jhass@hillpublisher.com
ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.10.027

From News Frames to City Narratives: Media’s Role in City Image Formation

Mingwen Zheng

Jilin International Studies University, Changchun 130117, Jilin, China.

*Corresponding author: Mingwen Zheng

Published: November 13,2025

Abstract

The media play a crucial role in shaping how cities are perceived by both domestic and global audiences. City image construction has become a strategic process through which media framing and agenda-setting guide public understanding and promote urban identity. As one of the fastest-developing cities in China, Shenzhen demonstrates how official media contribute to this process. This study takes Shenzhen Daily, the city’s official English-language newspaper, as a case to analyze how media representation constructs Shenzhen’s city image. Using data mining, content analysis, and discourse analysis of 2,313 articles published between 2023 and 2024, the research applies Zhang’s macro–meso–micro framework to examine thematic framing, event selection, and linguistic strategies. The findings reveal that Shenzhen Daily constructs an image of Shenzhen as an innovative, green, and culturally active metropolis through coordinated thematic focus and evaluative language. The study highlights the essential role of official media in urban communication and provides insights for global city image construction.

Keywords

Shenzhen; City Image; Shenzhen Daily; Framing Theory; Agenda-Setting Theory

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How to cite this paper

From News Frames to City Narratives: Media’s Role in City Image Formation

How to cite this paper: Mingwen Zheng. (2025) From News Frames to City Narratives: Media’s Role in City Image Formation. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science9(10), 2001-2005.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.10.027