The Chinese Social Credit System was created to compensate for weak institutions and fill the moral void that plagued the country. It significantly influences the behavior of individuals, companies, and other institutions, which is why it is not surprising that in a rapidly advancing technological and globalized world, it has led to intense international debates. However, there are significant differences in how the social credit system is reported in the Western world compared to China. This study aims to use corpus linguistics to highlight some of the differences in the reporting of the Chinese and Slovenian media regarding the social credit system. To achieve this, two corpora were compiled, the first containing 54 Slovenian media articles mentioning the social credit system, and the second containing 54 Chinese articles mentioning the social credit system. For the analysis, I utilized the corpus linguistic tool Sketch Engine. It was found that Slovenian media pay more attention to the impact of the social credit system on individuals rather than on companies, which, according to official documents discussing the system, are the primary targets of this system. Furthermore, Chinese media, while frequently mentioning companies in their articles, also attribute great importance to the individual and adopt a more holistic perspective. Finally, Slovenian media tend to portray the social credit system in a relatively negative light, while Chinese media adopt a more nuanced and positive approach.
|
