The newsworthiness of identity
Description
This thesis examines the relationship between local news coverage of the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill protests and the conceptualization of the Hong Kong identity. Through an analysis of both traditional mainstream media and alternative media sources, this thesis argues that during the 2019 protests, Hong Kong media served to form an arena for constructions of “Hong Kongness” to be formed and broadcasted to a wide public audience, ultimately helping to shape the narrative of the protest movement. Chapter 1 establishes a background of the various components that are often regarded as significant elements of “Hong Kongness.” Chapter 2 then examines traditional news media coverage of the 2019 protests through a quantitative analysis of The South China Morning Post and The Standard, the two largest English news sources in the city, analyzing the existence of the protest paradigm in their coverage in order to measure the publications’ negative bias against the protest movement. Chapter 3 examines alternative media sources through a content analysis of The Passion Times, providing a glimpse at how localist groups are defining themselves through news publications. The thesis concludes by addressing the current state of the protests in Hong Kong and acknowledging existing questions about the political future of the city, discussing how the Hong Kong identity should be approached in these contexts.