Attitude of Chinese and American media on China’s poverty alleviation based on Appraisal approach

This study aims to describe and explain the attitude distribution in news discourses about China’s poverty alleviation practice in Chinese and American mainstream media with the framework of appraisal approach. The analysis reveals that Chinese media adopts a positive stance primarily employing Appreciation resources, while American media takes a negative perspective relying on Judgement resources. The different distribution of attitudinal meaning is manifested in the evaluation on the four categories of poverty alleviation, that is, implementors, actions, recipients, and outcomes, with Chinese media focusing on actions and American media on implementors and recipients. The attitudinal differences can be traced back to differing political ideologies, sociocultural values, and communication strategies between these two countries. This research contributes to offering insights into how media discourse constructs and reflects sociopolitical realities, influencing international perceptions and intercultural communication.