1. China Train Wreck
Zhibin Zhang
English 403
Section2
Washington State University
Spring 2013

2. Train Wreck

3. Causes of Train Wreck

5. Actions by the Chinese Government
Burying the wreckageRescuing people

6. Public Anger

7. Responses of Chinese Government

8. Media Blackout
• Secure the event scene
• Keep reporters away from
the scene
• Limit the news coverage
• Do no investigate the event
• Focus on touching stories

9. This Presentation
Focus:
• South China Morning Post
• New York Times
Purpose:
• How two newspapers reported differently

10. Research Process
• Research Database: ProQuest Newspaper
• Key words: “China”, “train” and “wreck”
• Date: From July 23, 2011 to August 04, 2012

11. Summary of Analysis
Similarities:
• Causes of event
• Responses by government
Differences:
• The aspects of news reports
• The number of newspaper
articles

12. Common Focuses
South China Morning Post
• Identified the lightening as
the major cause
• Attributed design flaw to
rail ministry’s lack of
awareness
New York Times
• Examined the causes of
event
• Described the policing flaw
in the rail system

13. Coverage Differences
• Political Reviews

14. Coverage Differences
• Public Criticism

15. Coverage Differences
Media Censorship