The South China Sea is one of the world’s most contested maritime spaces, with overlapping claims and ambitions fought out not just by coast guard vessels, but in newsrooms. A single encounter with China’s Coast Guard can be cast as defence of sovereign waters or as a manufactured crisis, depending on the outlet. Even naming conventions — South China Sea, West Sea, North Natuna Sea — quietly assert territorial claims. Add to this the murkier influence of actors tied to Beijing seeking to soften coverage of alleged maritime incursions, and the picture becomes even more complex. How do these maritime incidents get packaged for local audiences? How do competing narratives shape public opinion? And what can ordinary news consumers do to see more clearly? Maritime security researcher Dr Lupita Wijaya from La Trobe University and Philippines-based maritime security journalist Frances Mangosing join presenter Sami Shah in examining how media narratives shape public opinion about the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
An Asia Institute podcast. Produced and edited by profactual.com. Music by audionautix.com.
Listing image: Satellite image of the South China sea, 2010. Credit: NASA World Wind Globe/Wiki Commons.
