Third-Person Effects of China News in Foreign Media and Support for the Chinese Government’s Global Profile-Raising Campaigns

This study examines the perceptual and behavioral aspects of the third-person effect concerning news about China in U.S. media, which tends to be negative and with a China-as-next-enemy angle. A sample of urban residents in China was drawn to survey their attention to news about China in U.S. media, their perceptions of the influence of China news on themselves and on Americans. Results support the third-person effect. Chinese respondents believed that news about China in U.S. media had a greater effect on Americans than on themselves. However, the more they paid attention to such news, the more they perceived the news as credible, the greater was their perceived effect on themselves. Additionally, SEM analysis shows that credibility mitigated against negative emotions elicited by news about China. Finally, perceived effects of news about China in U.S. media on the self and negative emotions elicited by the news predicted support for the Chinese government’s global profile-raising campaigns.