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Javnost - The Public, Vol. 33 - 2026, No. 2
Exploring Digital Divide From a Discursive Perspective: Representations of the Digital Divide in the New York Times and China Daily
Using discourse studies, this study interrogates the media representations in The New York Times and China Daily concerning the digital divide from key fields of research interests, that is, problem definition, causal attribution, solution interpretation, and outcome evaluation. Reports in The New York Times tend to represent the digital divide through individualized disparities and policy-oriented debates, emphasizing its socio-economic impact on marginalized individuals. By contrast, reports in China Daily consistently represent the issue within narratives aligned with state-driven developmental objectives, foregrounding governmental agency and policy initiatives in advancing technological equity. The analysis demonstrates that the divergent representations reflect the distinct socio-political and economic contexts shaping each publication’s editorial discourse. The study makes a valuable intervention by shifting the analytical focus from measuring the digital divide to examining how the issue is discursively constructed for public audiences.