Covering “The Lord of the World”: Chinese Sense-Making of the U.S. 2004 Presidential Election *

The U.S. presidential campaign drew international attention before, during, and after the 2004 election, as Chinese media intensively covered this foreign political event. While historically, Chinese media coverage of domestic issues of other nations fell under stringent censorship, for the most recent presidential campaign a “free speech zone ” was created. Not only did local newspapers and TV stations report the election, but government-owned, conservative CCTV and the People’s Daily, two core Chinese media, did so also. How did Chinese media report the U.S. political campaign? How did the Chinese public interpret the U.S. election? What are the implications for Chinese culture, media, and society? A content analysis supplemented by critical discourse analysis documents the Chinese media agencies ’ performance and portrays Chinese public reaction during the 2004 U.S. presidential election