Face of Authority: Unveiling Diverse Narratives in the Public Image of Political Elites in an Authoritarian state

In Western liberal democracies, political elites adeptly mold their public image through various media channels, crucial for electoral campaigns. Conversely, one-party authoritarian states like China face challenges due to media control, restricting the free expression of opinions on social platforms. This study explores the public image of Party Secretaries in China, analyzing narrative strategies and configurational factors influencing their portrayal in official media. The research, spanning 2016 to 2022, collected 43,858 official news reports on daily activities of Party Secretaries from all 31 provinces. Employing analytical methods, including non-negative matrix factorization, qualitative text analysis, and supervised machine learning, the study presents narrative strategies and differences in the public image of local officials in China. A sample of 52 Party Secretaries with complete terms was further analyzed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore factors behind their adoption of image-shaping strategies. Contrary to expectations, the analysis reveals a non-uniform public image in official media. Four distinct images emerge: "competence-oriented," "benevolence-oriented," "loyalty-oriented," and "versatility-oriented." Configurational factors include both structural (CCP cadre system incentives) and non-structural (regional environment, individual traits) elements. In a one-party political environment with restricted social platform expression, political elites strategically utilize official propaganda tools to shape their image, demonstrating diverse motivations. Frequent public activities by local officials serve as a means for outsiders to comprehend local government policy agendas. This research challenges assumptions about the uniformity of media portrayals in authoritarian regimes, providing a nuanced understanding of the CCP's "propaganda politics." By highlighting the interplay of incentive structures, regional environments, and individual traits, the study enriches the literature on public images of political elites in non-democratic countries.