![]() The expansion of Xinhua and CGTN is happening alongside a more opaque campaign of buying up broadcast space on foreign airwaves and inside newspapers. Some Chinese language radio airwaves in Australia have been bought by China Radio International or CRI affiliated companies. While Dr Smith, the host of the Little Red Podcast, said he didn't think it was the primary role of journalists to act as agents, he believed sometimes they could end up collecting material for the Chinese state that was never intended to be broadcast.Īs China's media continues to expand internationally, questions are also being raised over the CCP's influence over both private and state-owned companies abroad. The bureau chief later denied the allegations, saying Xinhua's policy was to "cover public events by public means" and that it was up to the agency's editing rooms to decide how and what to publish. Mr Zhang allegedly told Mr Bourrie the information gathered was to be sent directly to Beijing for intelligence purposes - leading Mr Bourrie to resign on the spot. Mr Bourrie reportedly confronted the bureau chief Dacheng Zhang when he discovered his report was not to be published. The Australian Financial Review started publishing content from China's Caixin Global last year. With little room to stray from the party line, examples have emerged where staff felt they acted more as agents of the state than journalists.Īccording to a report in Canada's Ottawa Magazine, Xinhua reporter Mark Bourrie was assigned to cover a visit by the Dalai Lama to Ottawa in 2012 and was asked to find out what was said in a private meeting between then prime minister Stephen Harper and the Tibetan spiritual leader. "That has been the fallacy of the Western media when it comes to reporting on China, not lying, but never telling the whole truth," she said. ![]() Meanwhile another CGTN presenter slammed Western media on air for its partiality in painting the CCP "in a one-dimensional, superficial way". In a slick 2017 video produced as part of a documentary series showcasing some of China's best journalists, CGTN host Pan Deng said many outside China are "brainwashed" by "Western values of journalism". 'Tell China's story well'Ĭhina has one of the most restrictive media environments in the world. It claims to be broadcasting to 1.2 billion people in English, Russian, Arabic, French and Chinese - including 30 million households in the US - which would make it the world's largest television network. That number jumped to 162 in 2017 and it aims to have 200 by 2020.ĬGTN has just opened a bureau in London in addition to ones already established in Nairobi and Washington, broadening the presence of its already-large number of correspondents around the world, including in Australia. This included a commitment by Mr Xi's predecessor, Hu Jintao, in 2009 to spend 45 billion yuan ($9.3 billion) on a media expansion campaign to develop CCTV, Xinhua and the People's Daily newspaper.Īccording to a report released by the Pentagon this month, Xinhua launched 40 new foreign bureaus between 20 alone. Meanwhile, a five month investigation published in The Guardian in December revealed the "astonishing scope and ambition" of China's world-wide propaganda campaign over the past decade. In a Wall Street Journal opinion editorial published in 2011, Li Congjun, former president of Xinhua, called for the "resetting of rules and order" in the international media industry where information flowed "from West to East, North to South, and from developed to developing countries". China splashes billions on global influence campaign In the same month CGTN billboards sprung up across Australia, the United States ordered the network and China's state-run media agency Xinhua to register as foreign agents over fears they could be used as tools for political interference.Īnd observers say that China is quickly understanding the importance of information warfare, and the power of media to shape public opinion not just at home, but around the world. The message was seen as part of Beijing's ambition to build a new global narrative around China while also challenging liberal democracy as the ideal developmental and political framework.īut as China continues to extend its reach across the world, some Western countries are pushing back. When the international arm of China Central Television (CCTV) news rebranded and became CGTN in 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the media organisation in a congratulatory letter to "tell China stories well" and spread China's voice. And, as a part of its efforts, Beijing is training up foreign journalists, buying up space in overseas media, and expanding its state-owned networks on an unprecedented scale.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |