Rumor Propagation and Discourse Construction in Panda Diplomacy: The “Ya Ya Abuse” Case

On February 1, 2023, the death of Chinese giant panda Le Le at the Memphis Zoo sparked Chinese concern over Ya Ya. This study maps the “Ya Ya abuse” controversy across Weibo, YouTube, and X through hashtag data, media reports, and court documents. Anchored in Dervin’s sensemaking theory and supplemented by the spiral of silence, and agenda-setting theories, the analysis extend the sensemaking theory by revealing how collaborative interpretation and emotional resonance shaped online rumor dynamics. To deepen this perspective, the study adopts Mediated Discourse Analysis to examine Weibo posts and media headlines. It finds that linguistic and visual framing transformed Ya Ya into a victimized national symbol, while algorithmic amplification and user-generated affect co-produced nationalist discourse. The rumor thus became a mediated narrative, jointly authored by human actors and digital infrastructures. The findings highlight three dynamics: (1) nationalist sentiment and algorithmic amplification accelerate emotional rumors; (2) audience subjectivity and mediation shape rumor construction; (3) spiral of silence deepens polarization. The study concludes by advocating improved media literacy, algorithmic transparency, and healthier digital public spheres to counter politicized misinformation.