Coverage of Ronald Reagan's China policy in three major newspapers--the "Los Angeles Times," the "New York Times," and the "Washington Post"--immediately before and after he assumed the presidency was submitted to content analysis. Results showed that the newspapers differed significantly both in their treatment of specific problems and in their changing stance toward Reagan's policy over an 18-month period. The "New York Times," for example, focused more heavily on Sino-American relations than did the other two papers. The three papers, however, also shared similar patterns of coverage. When Reagan was still a candidate and president-elect, for example, the newspapers concentrated largely on United States-Taiwan relations, giving frequently negative coverage of Reagan's position. Following the inauguration, the papers shifted their attention to United States-China relations and presented the president's policy in a more favorable light. (HTH)