The role of media reporting in food safety governance in China: a dairy case study

Abstract Using dairy products as the case study of interest, the aim of the research is to explore the role of the media in food safety governance in China. Thematic content analysis is used to evaluate government and media reports (n = 233) on dairy related food safety incidents in China between 2004 and 2017 with differences identified between government and media reporting. The data is extracted from an online database (Zhichuchuangwai). The results show that the government performs better on exposing incidents earlier within the 14-year period but the news media plays a complementary role in food safety governance exposing a wider coverage of incidents. This study extends the current literature on the role of the news media in food safety governance in China by focusing on a single food sector (dairy), but on a national scale.