Media Framing of Energy Crises: Chinese vs Western Outlets

WORK IN PROGRESS · MARCH 2026

Fuel Wars: From Ukraine to Iran — How Young Minds Sense Crisis

Fueling Fear or Feeling Facts?

[Your Name] · [Unit / Course Code]

31 March 2026

Slides 1–10 · WIP Presentation | 🗒 Speaker Notes Word Count Summary: Slide 1 ≈25w · Slide 2 ≈15w · Slide 3 ≈50w · Slide 4 ≈40w · Slide 5 ≈45w · Slide 6 ≈60w · Slide 7 ≈80w · Slide 8 ≈45w · Slide 9 ≈60w · Slide 10 ≈20w | TOTAL ≈440 words (under 700-word cap) | Speaker Note: This WIP deck presents a comparative media-framing study across the Russia–Ukraine and Iran energy conflicts. Deliverables: comparative report, visual brief, and a 3–5 minute sample clip.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Country & Community Recognition

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which I live and work, and pay respect to Elders past and present.

[Edit to include your specific Country / Nation]

This acknowledgement is editable — please localise to your region. | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE: Edit to name your specific Country and Nation. Keep tone respectful and sincere.

Fuel Wars WIP · Slide 2 of 10

ABOUT THE RESEARCHER

03 / 10

About Me

[Your Name]

[e.g., Media Studies, Year 2]

short-form video production · qualitative coding · interviews

Youth, media, and energy policy — where they intersect

Cross-cultural comparison · data visualization · audience research

[Photo placeholder — replace with headshot]

Fuel Wars WIP · Slide 3 of 10 | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE (~50 words): Replace [Your Name] and [Discipline/Year] with your details. Briefly explain what drew you to the intersection of youth, media and energy policy. Mention any prior experience — e.g., short-form video work, previous media analysis units, or personal connection to energy issues across different cultural contexts.

RESEARCH THEME

04 / 10

Core Research Question

How do Chinese and Western media link conflicts — Russia–Ukraine and Iran-related tensions — to energy shocks, and how does that shape youth perception?

Scope

Ukraine + Iran coverage compared across outlets

🇨🇳 Chinese Outlets

Xinhua

People's Daily

Douyin

🌍 Western Outlets

BBC

CNN

X (Twitter)

TikTok

Attribution/Blame

Short vs Long-term

Emotional Framing

Fuel Wars WIP · Slide 4 of 10 | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE (~40 words): The comparative aim is to show how the same energy-crisis narrative is constructed very differently depending on geopolitical alignment. Adding Iran alongside Ukraine allows us to test whether framing patterns are conflict-specific or reflect a consistent East–West media logic.

THE ISSUE

From Conflict to Perception — The Causal Chain

05 / 10

Conflict Trigger

Ukraine war + Iran tensions → energy supply disruption

Energy Price Shock

Media frames blame, urgency, and solutions

Youth Reaction

18–30s: heavy platform users, emotionally primed

Media framing shapes blame attribution and policy support

Platform algorithms amplify emotional, fast-spreading content

Young audiences are key policy communication targets

FUEL WARS WIP · SLIDE 5 OF 10 | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE (~45 words): The causal chain runs from geopolitical conflict → energy supply disruption → media framing of blame and solutions → youth emotional response → policy attitude formation. Ukraine and Iran represent two distinct triggers, but the media–youth framing pathway is structurally similar — making comparison scientifically meaningful and practically urgent for energy communicators.

METHODS & PROCESS

A Mixed-Methods Approach

06 / 10

Data Collection

~30 articles/conflict/bloc; ~50 videos/platform/conflict

Coding

Attribution · Fixes · Tone · CTA · Conflict frame

Analysis

Ukraine vs Iran; Chinese vs Western

Audience Testing

Focus groups + online survey

Mixed methods:

content analysis + short-video sampling + focus groups + survey

Coding frame:

attribution, short/long-term fixes, emotional tone, calls to action

QA:

double coding; bilingual cross-check

Ethics & consent:

prepared and pending approval

Alt text: method flowchart | Image placeholder: researcher at desk — Unsplash

Fuel Wars WIP · Slide 6 of 10 | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE (~60 words): Sample sizes (~30 articles/conflict/bloc; ~50 videos/platform/conflict) are designed for feasibility within a single-researcher timeline while maintaining analytical rigour. Coding variables cover five dimensions: attribution, short vs long-term fixes, emotional tone, calls to action, and cross-conflict framing differences. Ethics application submitted; consent forms prepared for focus group participants. Bilingual cross-check uses a native Mandarin speaker.

PROGRESS SO FAR

Early Findings — Preliminary

Completed:

~60 mainstream articles collected (Ukraine + Iran combined)

Completed:

~200 short-video screenshots sampled across platforms

Pattern A — Chinese outlets:

emphasise state measures & external pressures

Pattern B — Western outlets:

emphasise state culpability (Russia/Iran) + market/transition narratives

Short videos:

higher emotional editing; faster spread; platform differences evident

⚠ Preliminary — patterns subject to change with full coding

Fuel Wars WIP · Slide 7 of 10 | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE (~80 words): Example of Pattern A — a Xinhua article on Iran sanctions framed energy price rises as the result of Western unilateralism rather than supply constraints. Example of Pattern B — a BBC piece on Russian gas cutoffs foregrounded Moscow’s culpability and called for accelerated renewables transition. Short video finding: Douyin posts used faster cuts, dramatic music, and emotional close-ups compared to TikTok’s more ironic tone. All findings are preliminary and subject to revision after full double-coded analysis.

Data Collected

60+

Mainstream articles

200+

Short-video samples

Article thumb — Xinhua

Article thumb — BBC

Video thumb — Douyin

Video thumb — TikTok

Placeholder thumbnails — replace with actual samples

TARGET AUDIENCE

Who We’re Studying — and Why

08 / 10

SPEAKER NOTE (~45 words): Focus group recruitment targets 8–10 urban participants aged 18–30, split equally between Chinese-background and Western-background students. Key attitudinal measures: trust in media sources, blame attribution for energy prices, support for government subsidies vs. market solutions, and self-reported likelihood of taking conservation or protest action.

WHAT'S NEXT

Project Timeline — April to May 2026

09 / 10

TIMELINE

Apr 3–8

Collect additional Iran-related samples

Apr 9–18

Complete full coding — both conflicts

Apr 19–25

Analysis & visualization — Ukraine vs Iran comparison

Apr 26–May 6

Finalize report, visual brief & 3–5 min sample clip; APA references

If recruitment or algorithmic sampling falls short, extend collection window by 5 days; supplement with archived posts.

Fuel Wars WIP · Slide 9 of 10 | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE (~60 words): Contingency A — if algorithmic platform sampling yields insufficient Iran-related content, the collection window for Milestone 1 extends by up to 5 days and is supplemented with archived posts from verified research databases. Contingency B — if focus group recruitment falls below 6 participants, semi-structured individual interviews will substitute. Both contingencies preserve the analytical framework without compromising comparative validity.

REFERENCES

References (APA 7th Edition)

Sample placeholder entries — full list in final submission

10 / 10

Chinese State Media

Xinhua. (2024). [Article title — replace with actual]. Retrieved from https://[URL]

Source type: State news wire | Suggested search: Xinhua English energy Ukraine

Western Broadcaster

BBC. (2024). [Article title — replace with actual]. Retrieved from https://[URL]

Source type: Public broadcaster | Suggested search: BBC News energy Iran 2024

Academic Journal

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal Name, volume</span>(issue), pages. https://doi.org/[DOI]

Replace with peer-reviewed source on media framing / energy crisis

Social Media / Platform Post

@username. (2024, Month Day). Post title or first 20 words of post [TikTok video]. https://[URL]

Platform post citation — APA 7th format

Full APA reference list will be completed in final submission. | 📝 SPEAKER NOTE: Replace all placeholder entries with actual sources before final submission. Ensure DOIs are active and all URLs are archived via Wayback Machine or Perma.cc.

Fuel Wars: From Ukraine to Iran — WIP Deck · 31 March 2026 · Slide 10 of 10