Covering news with provincial characteristics: Comparing news coverage on health crises in China’s Guangdong and Henan provinces

Against the theoretical background of media transformation and social change, this study delivers empirical evidence to support a recent theoretical call for ‘scaling’ and ‘rescaling’ media in China. A case study is used to illustrate how news institutions from different geographical locations within China differ in their news construction. News coverage of two health incidences sampled from six Chinese newspapers are analysed and compared. Two sets of hypotheses are tested. The study concludes that only by considering both the degree of commercialization and the geographical differences can we exhibit a relatively precise measurement of the everyday journalistic practice and its products.