On Aug. 10, Yuan Sheng, an airline captain for China Eastern Airline was nearly detained by Chinese police prior to taking off from Shanghai as a result of distributing the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and encouraging members to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When it came time to return to China from Los Angeles, Yuan Sheng decided to remain in the U.S. and apply for political asylum.
On Aug. 11, an overseas Chinese media outlet, which had never interviewed Yuan, published a biased report inconsistent with Yuan Sheng's story.
To look deeper into the issue of media coverage regarding Yuan's story, The Epoch Times interviewed Ms. He Qinglian, who is familiar with the CCP's control of Chinese overseas media outlets.
Ms. He Qinglian is currently a senior researcher for Human Rights in China (HRIC). Her book The Pitfall of China's Modernization has been highly regarded as "the prophet of China's reform," and "the book that dares to speak the truth." Ms. He was forced to leave China because of this book. Her newly published book The Fogged China is based on the content of her special report "How the Chinese Government Controls the Media," but with numerous additions.
Written from the perspective of an insider, it factually exposes the regime's control over mainland Chinese media by systematically analyzing various angles including the law, regulations, policy, detailed operations of the relevant government departments, and comments from journalists.
Following is a transcript based on the phone interview with Ms. He regarding the regime's control and influence over overseas Chinese media.
Inside China, People Cannot Imagine the CCP Control of Overseas Chinese Media
When I was in China, I would browse the [reports] from overseas Chinese media outlets. At that time, I felt their reports were similar to Xinhua News Agency [China's state-run media]. I thought it was because they did not have journalists in China and thus could not understand what was happening in China.
After I went abroad, I figured out that the CCP pays a great deal of attention to controlling the overseas Chinese media?the so-called "unified frontline" project. Since early on, the CCP has controlled quite a few overseas Chinese media outlets by investing, becoming a stockholder and sponsoring or buying advertisements.
Money really talks. On November 21, 2001, The Jamestown Foundation, an independent U.S. non-profit organization, published a report titled "How China's Government Is Attempting to Control Chinese Media in America." The CCP has seriously endeavored to use the above means to control four major Chinese media outlets: World Journal, SingTao USA, Mingpao, and China Press.
The overseas Chinese media outlets have financial issues. Because Chinese readers are widely dispersed, the market is relatively small. To survive in an extremely competitive environment, many Chinese media outlets have relinquished their professional ethics. Some of these overseas CCP representatives are disguised, while some are obvious.
Using Overseas Chinese Media to Cheat Mainland Chinese People
Recently, China has held several global Chinese media conferences. They invite the Chinese media from around the world back to Beijing, Wuhan, and Guangzhou, etc. No doubt, these invited media outlets are the ones that have good relationships with the CCP.
For example, the Third World Chinese Media Conference was held separately in Wuhan and Guangzhou. The Wuhan conference claimed to have more than 200 Chinese media delegates from 45 countries worldwide, the Guangzhou conference claimed 62 delegates from 26 countries.
Because of the painstaking exaggeration of the mainland Chinese media [regarding these conferences], Chinese people might be led to believe that Chinese media outlets have become the mainstream in the world. Some witless Chinese local media even reported that overseas Chinese media are exploring the possibility of cooperating with mainland Chinese media.
These kinds of global Chinese media conferences have the effect of acting as deceptive propaganda in China. Because people in China don't know where the overseas Chinese media's finances come from, when they see such big conferences, they presume that under the rule of the CCP, China can organize overseas Chinese people and believe that despotic China has a good image in the international community.
The most misleading part is that Chinese readers believe those Chinese media that attended the conferences to be "independent media" that advocate the spirit of freedom.
Although the participants know the real roles they play, these kinds of "big gatherings" really attract them.
According to one participant, "It was a typical Chinese gathering. There were things to eat, to drink, and amusements. We got applause, took pictures, made speeches and summarized our experiences. We got information and gifts. We were welcomed and waved farewell."
The sponsors intended to bribe these overseas Chinese media. And the participants hope to be noticed to attract the Chinese authorities' attention and focus so that they can obtain more resources.
Overseas Chinese media have quite a lot of readers. However, they always complain that they don't have enough headroom to develop.
Actually, the real problem is in the media outlets themselves. The media environment in western countries is free, but the Chinese media give up morality and conscience and the principles of truth in reporting for their own gains, and thus become the overseas mouthpiece of the CCP. This is the main reason that the Chinese media have difficulty becoming a bona fide media.
The "Unified Frontline" Project
The CCP authorities pay much attention to the influence of overseas Chinese media. In a meeting held in mainland China on how to "unify" overseas Chinese, they have openly claimed that Chinese authorities have three methods: overseas Chinese schools, overseas Chinese media and overseas Chinese associations.
Chinese associations, which are akin to the CCP, canvass the overseas Chinese people to participate in the activities held by Chinese consulates, for example welcoming Jiang Zeming and Hu Jintao to the U.S. They also use these Chinese associations to exclude dissidents, Falun Gong, and so on.
Ostensibly, Chinese schools are for spreading Chinese culture, but the textbooks they use inevitably carrying the hue of the CCP's ideology. And it also organizes all kinds of activities to achieve the aim of unifying the overseas Chinese people.
The Hong Kong media environment has been continually deteriorating since Hong Kong returned to China in 1997. The infiltration of the CCP fund organizations, the deterioration of the media's environment, and the self-restraint of the media workers are the three factors which affect each other [and exacerbate the whole situation]. At present, it's hard for media not associated with the CCP to survive. They are under great pressure.
The situation of the media in Taiwan is more complicated because there is friction between the two major Parties. Most of the media in Taiwan originally belonged to the Kuomintang (KMT), and the CCP fund organizations have infiltrated into the Taiwanese media, so the media seldom report negative news about China.
Professor Chang Chinhwa of the Graduate Institute of Journalism at National Taiwan University has undertaken specific research into this. He pointed out that the media in Taiwan seldom report corrupt cases involving the CCP, but often propagandize how good the situation is in China and how good China's achievements in economic developments are.
With regards to the mainland media's self-restraint, I can understand, because "under the claws of a cat, a nightingale cannot sing a pleasant song." However, for some overseas Chinese media who are willing to be the mouthpiece of the CCP, I feel sorry for them. After all, overseas communities are open. Readers have various sources to get information. Overseas Chinese readers have their opinions. Over a period of time, they will start to question the credibility of those mouthpiece media. In the end, they will abandon them like worn-out slippers.
Feeds