Framing people with intellectual disabilities: A content analysis of official and commercial Chinese news outlets

People with disabilities, as a vulnerable group in society, have consistently been the subject of public concern. With the media’s pivotal role in shaping public consciousness and societal norms, its portrayal of specific groups can contribute to the creation and reinforcement of stigma, particularly concerning illness and disability. Guided by framing theory, this study examines how people with intellectual disabilities are constructed in the Chinese official (People’s Daily) and commercial (Southern Metropolitan Daily) news media over three years from 2021 to 2023. A content analysis of 220 news articles revealed that coverage of people with intellectual disabilities was predominantly presented as hard news and significantly more prevalent in the People’s Daily than in the Southern Metropolitan Daily. Employing Clogston’s (1990) and Haller’s (1995) disability frames, the analysis revealed a predominant portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities as vulnerable and in need of assistance, highlighting a stigmatizing representation within the media coverage.