What Constitutes a Country? Defining Taiwan in Media Organizations

This paper uses a comparative lens to analyze the terminology that news organizations employ in defining Taiwan for unfamiliar readers, finding that media references to Taiwan often serve as a reflection of countries' own relations. Western countries, whose governments typically highlight Taiwan's democracy but lack official diplomatic relations themselves, are significantly more likely to use unique phrasing like "self-governed island" or "self-ruled democracy" rather than simple nouns like island or country. These choices serve to amplify and reinforce both its contested status and the sovereign nature of its governance. Alternatively, outlets based in places with relatively tense present-day relations with Taiwan (Moscow, Beijing, and Hong Kong) are significantly more likely to refer to it as simply an island, while outlets based in countries with official diplomatic relations (Belize and Palau) are significantly more likely to confer nation status. Moreover, media depictions appear to shift alongside shifts in government relations, as evidenced by outlets like the Solomon Islands' Solomon Star. This paper concludes with a discussion of broader implications and avenues for further research, as the results provide additional evidence in favor of the relationship between government and media, while raising further questions regarding the relationship between media and public opinion with respect to Taiwan.