The aim of this thesis is to compare the media coverage on the topic of the Chinese balloon that flew over the United States of America from 28 January to 4 February 2023. I compare the reports in four countries: PR China, the USA, Slovenia and Italy. All articles report that the balloon came from the PRC, flew over the Pacific Ocean and then flew over the USA. However, the similarities in the reports end there, as Chinese articles explain that it was a harmless balloon used to measure weather phenomena that lost its trail and accidentally entered the Western superpower's airspace. American articles contradict this narrative with the accusation that the balloon was a manipulated spying instrument that deliberately flew over important US military bases where nuclear weapons are located in order to send this sensitive information to Beijing.
The incident attracted great deal of attention worldwide. The position of foreign countries in their reports on the event clearly shows which side they are on in the global rivalry for economic supremacy. As both Slovenia and Italy are members of NATO, the political and military alliance dominated by its largest military power, the USA, the media coverage in Slovenia and Italy reflects the US position. While Italy strongly condemns the Chinese action, Slovenian journalists try to write about the event from a greater distance.
The tense relations between the world's two largest economies are a result of the long-lasting friction between the PRC and the West and the general ethnocentric attitude towards foreign cultures. The different positions in the media are also due to the different media systems in different countries. The Chinese government strictly monitors the media, while Western journalism is more liberal but still controlled by media owners, which increasingly restricts freedom of reporting.
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