Taking the theoretical perspective of Sites of Memory, this paper applies the computational communication method of named entity recognition in tracing the media sites of memory and outlining the shifting “Communism” stereotype landscape in New York Times from 1981 to 2018. The study shows that the “Communism” stereotypes changed in accordance with the sites of memory and the American mainstream ideology and national interests, and transformed through three stages: from “an enemy combating the Western democracy in the Cold War”, to “a world political movement and a conspiracy endangering American national security”, and now to “China challenging the American leadership on the world stage.” The study of the coverage of Communism in Western media can not only deepen our understanding of media ideology behind the logical relationship between news and politics, but also help us grasp the essence and motivation of the new wave of “China’s threat” in Western media.