How Soft Propaganda Operates across the Strait: Analysing the Interplay between Taiwanese YouTubers and Pro-Beijing News Media

This article maps the Taiwan‑focused soft propaganda ecosystem and examines how Taiwanese YouTubers and pro‑Beijing news media influence perceptions of Xinjiang. Drawing on 68 YouTube vlogs and 97,235 comments, this study investigates the intersection of social-media influencers, conventional news media, and audience engagement dynamics. Using critical discourse analysis, structural topic modelling, sentiment analysis, and interrupted time-series analysis, the research demonstrates that the news amplification of YouTuber content was associated with short-term increases in public engagement and more positive sentiment, although these effects eventually dissipated. The findings highlight both the effectiveness and the limitations of leveraging influencers and news media for propaganda purposes, thereby offering insights into the evolving dynamics of soft propaganda and the growing sophistication of state-aligned narratives in the digital age.