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Yiyan Li

Abstract

Xi Jinping, China’s president, has embarked on the largest anti-corruption campaign in modern Chinese history. This study provides insight into the media representing the wife figure in contemporary corruption news in China. To this end, this study employs critical discourse analysis to analyse news articles from the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The data reveals news articles depict wives of corrupt cadres as greedy if they have participated in their husbands’ corrupt behaviors. In this sense, wives are represented as being responsible for their husbands’ corruption, while the ruling party’s role is marginalized. Thus, this representational strategy allows the government to deflect pressure onto the corrupt cadres’ wives and cover up the systematic flaws that allow corruption to flourish. By decoding the nature and role of the wife in news reports related to corruption, this study contributes to understanding how political power influences the construction of the wife figure in corruption news.

Author Biography

Yiyan Li has a Ph.D. in sociology and her research interests are broad, such as gender and media representation. She is enthusiastic about conducting research, as research helps her develop a deep understanding of social issues.

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