Guo, Steve ZhongshiSteve ZhongshiGuoDr. WANG Dan, AngelaAngelaDr. WANG Dan2026-09-112026-09-112021Chinese Journal of Communication, 2021, vol. 14(2), pp. 211-230.1754-47501754-4769http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/29428This research integrates construal level theory with news production strategies by exploring the joint effects of distance and editorial commitment on news narratives. In content analyzing the coverage of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by four newspapers in China and West, we investigate determinants of choice of principled or personalized accounts in storytelling. The findings showed that editorial commitment was low and power reliance high when the site of event was far away, leading to the use of higher construals in Western news texts than in Chinese newspapers. This study contributes to the unexplored relationship between news production and construal level theory.enNews ProductionConstrual Level TheoryEditorial CommitmentBRIContent AnalysisPeer Reviewed Journal Article10.1080/17544750.2020.1816556