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{{Short description|Far-right media company affiliated with the Falun Gong movement}}
{{Infobox Newspaper |
{{Distinguish|text=], which is sometimes called Epoch time}}
name = The Epoch Times|
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
image = |

type = International ] |
{{Infobox newspaper
format = ] |
| logo = EpochTimes.svg
languages = multiple |
| logo_size = 200px
circulation = 1.4 million |
| image = Epochtimescover.png
price = Free |
| caption = Front page of ''The Epoch Times'' New York edition for March 18, 2016
foundation = ] |
| type = International newspaper
owners = Privately owned |
| format = ]
headquarters = ], <br> {{USA}} |
| owners = Epoch Media Group
website = |
| founder = John Tang
| publisher = Epoch Media Group
| foundation = {{start date and age|2000|5|20}}
| language = Multiple, mainly Chinese and English
| political = ]{{refn|name="far-right"}}
| headquarters = 229 W. 28th St., ] 10001, ]
| website = {{URL|theepochtimes.com}}
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| s = 大纪元时报
| t = 大紀元時報
| p = Dàjìyuán Shíbào
}} }}
{{Conservatism US|media}}
'''''The Epoch Times''''' (]: 大纪元; ]: 大紀元; ]: Dàjìyuán) is a ]-linked<ref>KVIA.com (April 2006) , retrieved July 1, 2006</ref>,<ref>SFChronicle(December 18, 2005) ,
'''''The Epoch Times''''' is a ]{{refn|name="far-right"|Sources describing ''The Epoch Times'' as a far-right publication: <ref name="Peng 2023" /><ref name="Dark Platforms" /><ref name="Zhang Davis 2022" /><ref name="Bloom 2021" /><ref name="Kaiser" /><ref name="Weisskircher 2020" /><ref name="Braune 2023" />}} international multi-language newspaper and media company affiliated with the ] ].<ref name="Hobbs 2020" /><ref name="Hune-Brown 2017" /><ref name="Alba 2021" /><ref name="Perrone 2022" /> The newspaper, based in ], is part of the Epoch Media Group, which also operates ] (NTD) Television.<ref name="NBCNews" /> ''The Epoch Times'' has websites in 35 countries but is blocked in ].<ref name="NewsGuard 2020" />
retrieved December 9, 2006</ref> politically anti-Communist multilingual, general-interest ] distributed free-of-charge in roughly 30 countries worldwide and maintains editions in ten languages in print, and 17 languages on the web<ref>''The Epoch Times'' , retrieved November 28, 2006 </ref>. The newspaper claims to have a special strength in its coverage of China and ] issues, and frequently contains articles with strongly opinionated views on the ], mainland Chinese society, and groups against the CPC, especially ]. While the paper claims an independent stance, it has been criticized as being biased.


''The Epoch Times'' opposes the ],<ref name="sfgate2" /><ref name="Wilson 2021" /><ref name="Perrone 2022" /> hosts far-right politicians in Europe,<ref name="Allen-Ebrahimian" /><ref name="TheNewRepublic" /><ref name="Perrone 2022" /> and has supported former President ] in the U.S.<ref name="Roose 2020b" /><ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021" /> A 2019 report by ] showed it to be the second-largest funder of pro-Trump ] advertising after the Trump campaign itself.<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="Brown 2018" /><ref name="Perrone 2022" /> ''The Epoch Times'' frequently runs stories promoting other Falun Gong–affiliated groups, such as the performing arts company ].<ref name="Roose 2020b" /><ref name="Tolentino 2019" /><ref name="Gafni 2020" /> The Epoch Media Group's news sites and ] channels have promoted ] such as ], the ], ] and ].{{refn|<ref name="Kurlantzick 2023">{{Citation |last=Kurlantzick |first=Joshua |title=China's Mixed Effectiveness |date=March 19, 2023 |work=Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World |pages=259–C11.P130 |publisher=] |doi=10.1093/oso/9780197515761.003.0011 |isbn=978-0-19-751576-1 |quote=Many of the conspiracy theories produced by publications linked to ''Epoch Times'' have nothing to do with China at all but rather with QAnon, fake claims of voter fraud in the United States, and other issues. |author-link=Joshua Kurlantzick}}</ref><ref name="TheTimes" /><ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="Alba 2019" /><ref name="Perrone 2022" /><ref name="TheEconomist" /><ref name="EENews" /><ref name="Swenson 2020" />{{overcitation|date=June 2024}}}} In June 2024, allegations of ] were leveled at Bill Guan, the group's ].<ref name=":1"/>
==History==
, organized by various associations including ]. ], Place d'Italie, February 26, 2006, near noon. The ''Epoch Times'' is cited by the protesters.]]
According to the newpaper, ''The Epoch Times'' was founded in New York in May 2000, following the arrest of a small circle of journalists in ] in ]. However as revealed by ], the founder of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), the ''Epoch Times'' "was established by Dafa disciples for validating the Fa." The term Dafa disciple refers to practitioners of ]. According to Li, the ''Epoch Times'' is one of “three major media groups”—the Sound of Hope and New Tang Dynasty TV are the other two—which most concern the Chinese Communist Party. Because the ''Epoch Times'' has become “the platform and facilitator for the Nine Commentaries,” a practitioner asked Li in 2005 about how it should be run. Li responded:
:Just as I said earlier, if you want to do better, you need to cooperate and coordinate well, carry out each task responsibly and attentively, and through your collective effort make that media outlet stand out. If all of you do well, the media outlet is bound to do well, and it will have a greater effect in saving sentient beings. However many people it saves, you have a share in that because it is your collective mouth, the mouthpiece of everyone involved in running the newspaper.
As reported by the paper itself, Chinese journalists relayed stories overseas of alleged ] abuses, infringements on civil liberties, and ] in the Communist Party of China (CPC), among others. <ref>''The Epoch Times'', , retrieved July 1, 2006</ref>


== History and relation to Falun Gong ==
Blocked from entering China, the Chinese version of Epoch Times is mainly being distributed in ] communities for free. It claims to have a weekly distribution of over one million copies in 30 countries worldwide. The paper has associated media services, including the television station ], the radio station, ], which together with the Epoch Times form the Epoch media group. Minghui (Clear Wisdom) and Reminbao (People's Paper) are two other news sources used by few if any other media, and that help contribute stories from a Falun Gong perspective.
''The Epoch Times'' was founded in 2000 by John Tang and other ] affiliated with the ] new religious movement.<ref name="Perrone 2022" /> Tang was a graduate student in ] at the time; he began the newspaper in his basement.<ref name="Roose 2020b" /> The founders said they were responding to censorship inside China and a lack of international understanding about the Chinese government's repression of Falun Gong.<ref name="Congressional Research Service" /><ref name="Ownby" />


By 2003, ''The Epoch Times'' website and group of newspapers had grown into one of the largest Chinese-language news sites and newspaper groups outside China, with local editions in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and major Western European countries.<ref name="zhao" /> The first English edition launched online in September 2003, followed by the first print edition in 2004.<ref name="Loucaides 2022" /> The English Australian edition was launched in ] in 2005.<ref name="NBCNews" />
In August 2004, an ] edition of the Epoch Times was launched in ]. English editions are distributed in ], Canada (], ], ], ], ] and ]), ], ], ], the ], the ] (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]). ] and ] editions were launched in late ], and more recently ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] editions have started up in print.


Nick Couldry and James Curran wrote in 2003 that the paper represents a "major step in the evolution of Falun Gong-related alternative media" and may be part of a ''de facto'' media alliance with democracy activists in exile.<ref name="HcTvr" /> In 2003, sociologist ] wrote that the paper "displays an indisputable ideological and organizational affinity with Falun Gong" and that it strongly emphasizes negative portrayals of the Chinese government and positive portrayals of Falun Gong. Per Zhao, ''Epoch'' portrays itself as neutral, independent, and public-interest oriented.<ref name="zhao" />
In ], ''Die Neue Epoche'' (German edition of the Epoch Times) received a special media prize from the ] (IGFM) for "extensive and regular reporting about violations of human rights in China." In ], the English version of the paper was awarded the top award by the Asian American Journalists Association (]) for the category "Asian American Issues - Online." In ], the English version of the paper was recognized during the National Ethnomedia Week 2005 in ] as a "strong defender of human rights and free democratic values." .


In 2005, the '']'' reported that "three new U.S.-based, Chinese-language media outlets that provide provocative reporting about the Communist Party, government oppression and social unrest in China (namely ''The Epoch Times'', ], and NTDTV) have ties to the Falun Gong spiritual movement". When interviewed, executives at each outlet claimed they did not represent the Falun Gong movement as a whole.<ref name="sfgate2" />
As of April 2006, The Epoch Times has 10 languages in print, and 17 languages on the web.


] reporter ] wrote in 2006 that it is "technically inaccurate" to say that Falun Gong owns ''The Epoch Times,'' though many of the paper's staff are Falun Gong practitioners. Toosi noted: "some observers" have said that Falun Gong uses the newspaper for its public relations campaigns and that the paper is connected with the group and carries sympathetic coverage of it.<ref name="thepost" />


The English ''Epoch Times'' chair Stephen Gregory has denied that ''The Epoch Times'' is directly connected to Falun Gong.<ref name="thepost" /><ref name="DailyTelegraph" /><ref name="Gregory 2019" /> Independent reporters in the U.S. have confirmed the connection.<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="Roose 2020b" /><ref name="DailyTelegraph" />


In 2008, David Ownby, director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the ] and the author of '']'', said Falun Gong practitioners set up the newspaper with their own money. He described ''The Epoch Times'' as wishing to be taken seriously as a global newspaper rather than being judged on the basis of its strong association with Falun Gong. He wrote: "''Epoch Times'' is a newspaper with a mission, that of reporting on issues bearing on ] throughout the world, which allows for considerable focus on China and Falun Gong."<ref name="Ownby">{{Cite book |last=Ownby |first=David |title=Falun Gong and the Future of China |date=May 1, 2008 |publisher=] |pages=161–228 |chapter=David Meets Goliath: The Conflict between Falun Gong and the Chinese State |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329056.003.0006 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329056.003.0006 |access-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103011455/https://academic.oup.com/book/36117/chapter-abstract/313612029?redirectedFrom=fulltext |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Focus==
''The Epoch Times'' originally targeted Chinese readers living abroad and reported on various alleged persecutions and abuses by, as well as the inner workings of, the CPC. Its reports on China are highly critical of the government. It often refers to China as "Communist China" in its reports, including non-political articles, as it does not recognise the CPC as the legitimate government of China. It has since grown to report on civil rights issues worldwide in a politically conservative view, and now appeals to a somewhat wider audience. It sometimes also publishes articles accusing overseas Chinese personalities and media of alleged pro-CPC or anti-Falun Gong bias. The English edition represents itself as a general-interest newspaper that, although it maintains a large amount of China-related content, offers 12 other sections, including travel, science, sports, and regional and international news.


Canadian scholar Clement Tong wrote that ''The Epoch Times'' "operates as a mouthpiece" for Falun Gong without an official statement of affiliation with the movement.<ref name="Tong2015" />
The paper is unique in giving a large amount of attention to ]'s campaigns, particularly their attempt to sue former Chinese President ] under civil legislation for ]. However the case failed to attract major media attention outside of the newspaper, and later the paper's stance shifted from being anti-Jiang Zemin to anti-CPC. A large number of practitioners were also instrumental in the paper's founding and continue to be in its current operations. Because of this, the paper has over the years been accused by the Chinese government as well as concerned people outside of China of being a ] mouthpiece of Falun Gong. The newspaper and Falun Gong practitioners dispute this, saying that such covert operations are unnecessary considering Falun Gong already has publications to represent itself openly, and that some practitioners promote the paper because of its coverage of their cause. However according to tax records, the chairman of the paper's board, Kangang Xu, is a top Falun Gong spokesperson.<ref>Susan V. Lawrence, ''Falun Gong Adds Media Weapons In Struggle With China's Rulers'' - Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.: Apr 14, 2004. pg. B.2I</ref> The paper's Chinese editions tend to carry a large number of articles promoting heavily edited traditional ] and ] stories, not just Falun Gong doctrines, in a way that reinforces the paper's stance against the CPC.


In 2009, ], the founder of Falun Gong, appeared at the newspaper's headquarters in Manhattan and called for the expansion of ''The Epoch Times'' to "become regular media".<ref name="NBCNews" /> Li has called ''The Epoch Times'' "our media", along with the NTD digital production company and the Shen Yun dance troupe.<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="Falun Dafa" /> Two former employees said that top editors traveled to meet with Li at Falun Gong's compound, ], where he weighed in on editorial and strategic decisions; ''The Epoch Times'' denied that a meeting took place.<ref name="Roose 2020b" />
According to the paper, its goal in reporting is to accurately inform its readers about events in China, particularly those stories that remain censored. For example, it was one of the first newspapers to carry in-depth coverage of ], well before the Chinese government publicly admitted that there was an epidemic that went on to cause some 350 deaths. The paper also counters what it considers to be pro-CPC propaganda through its own opinion pieces. Its various editions worldwide all tend to show a marked pro-] undertone, and in particular it is supportive of the Bush administration's conservative policies, the global ] and the ].


Former ''Epoch Times'' employees have noted Falun Gong practitioners' involvement in the management and editorial process.<ref name="NBCNews" /> Three anonymous former employees said ''Epoch Times'' workers were encouraged to attend weekly "Fa study" sessions outside work hours to study Li's teachings.<ref name="Roose 2020a" /> Former employees have said that criticizing ''The Epoch Times'' amounts to disobeying Li.<ref name="Roose 2020b" />
==Criticism==
In the overseas Chinese community, where ''The Epoch Times'' is distributed, reactions are mixed. Some commend it for providing alternative views on China and its Communist government. Others criticize the paper, accusing it of having lax journalistic standards, an exaggerated tone, making false stories, of pro-Falun Gong bias, and unclear financial background.


''The Epoch Times'' runs frequent promotional stories about the related ] dance troupe. ''The New Yorker''{{'s}} review of Shen Yun called ''The Epoch Times'' "the world's foremost purveyor of Shen Yun content".<ref name="Tolentino 2019" />
One of the biggest criticisms of ''The Epoch Times'' is that its tone towards the Chinese government is always one-sided and negative, and commentaries that select and interpret facts in an anti-Communist view, and that it often quotes unreliable information and unsubstantiated sources to criticise the Chinese government. It is dismissive of positive developments in mainland China such as economic growth. It has been characterized as improperly blending news and commentary and using tabloid practices such as exaggerated or aggressive headlines; some consider it to be an opinion journal rather than a serious publication following established ].


In a 2018 report, the conservative think tank ] wrote, "the space for truly independent Chinese-language media in the United States has shrunk to a few media outlets supported by the adherents of Falun Gong, the banned religious sect in China, and a small publication and website called '']''", the report noting that the latter is also associated with Falun Gong.<ref name="Hoover2018" />


In a 2019 report, ] wrote, "Aside from the ''Epoch Times'' newspaper and New Tang Dynasty Television, which are run by the Falun Gong, a religious movement persecuted in China, and '']'', a website founded by a leading US-based critic of the regime, the United States now has few truly independent diaspora media."<ref name="RSF2019RE" />
''The Epoch Times'' is very vocal in supporting dissidents, Falun Gong practitioners, pro-independence Taiwanese, American conservatives, and all other traditional opponents of the CPC; their opinions can often be seen in the opinion page. The paper rarely publishes letters and opinions that would be considered pro-Communist or anti-Falun Gong, which the paper deems unnecessary. Posts in its Chinese language online forum are also subject to 'content review' before being posted.


In 2019, an ] investigative report suggested ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} political coverage may be affected by Falun Gong believers' anticipation of a judgment day in which communists are sent to hell and Falun Gong's allies are spared. Former ''Epoch Times'' employees told NBC News that Donald Trump is viewed as a key anti-communist ally,<ref name="NBCNews" /> allegedly hastening that judgment day.<ref name="Zadrozny-bans-CNBC" />
==The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party==
In November 2004, the Chinese version of ''The Epoch Times'' published and heavily promoted a series of editorials and a booklet entitled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" ({{zh-stp|s=九评共产党|t=九評共產黨|p=Jǐupíng Gòngchǎn dǎng}}). The editorials purport to give an alternate exposé of the CPC through its history, from its ascent to power under ] to its present-day form, as well as a condemnation of ] in all of its forms. It is written in the propagandistic style of 'Nine Commentaries on the Soviet Communist Party', a 1963 Chinese publication, attacking ]. Portions of the history given by the Commentaries are allegedly difficult to support using traditionally respected history texts of ] China, which supporters of the "Commentaries" attribute to the CPC's need for control and tendency to try to cover up its more damaging actions. According to them, this results in a wealth of information that is often hard to come by and difficult to report on. The Nine Commentaries won the “Asian American Issues - Online” category at the 2005 ] (AAJA) convention held in August ]. The "Commentaries" were subsequently rendered into other languages.


In 2020, ] identified '']'' and NTD as affiliates of ''The Epoch Times'', as part of a multilingual "media empire".<ref name="VPXdA" />
Some readers of the English version often find the "Commentaries" to be rather one-sided and contain language that is overblown and unbelievable, making them difficult to take seriously. Much of this may be the result of a more literal translation from the original Chinese text. The editorial often uses unusual phrases to describe the CPC, calling it 'an Anti-Universe Force', 'an evil spirit from the West', and stating that the Communist Party of China is the 'red dragon' mentioned in the book of ] of the Bible. Such phrases are similar to the ones used by the CPC to outlaw Falun Gong, such as denouncing each other as 'evil cults'. Supporters of the paper claim that the the tone is geared towards the communication style to which mainland Chinese readers, mostly who grew up during the ], would be accustomed. It is also said that such readers have usually been exposed to years of government propaganda, rarely gaining access to alternative information about their government, although it is not circulated in mainland China itself. While praised by some Chinese dissidents as having an adverse effect on the political control of the CPC, its contents are controversial and disputed by critics who call it historical revisionism and Falun Gong propaganda. Because such text is banned in China, the paper often sends unsolicited copies and email to spread their message inside mainland China.


''The Epoch Times'' sold a building in ], to Falun Gong-aligned website company Gan Jing World in 2022, with the building then opening as Gan Jing World's headquarters in July 2022. The Falun Dafa Gan Jing World Foundation was incorporated in 2023 at the same building in Middletown.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bredderman |first=William |date=2024-08-14 |title=The Little Town Being Taken Over by Falun Gong |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/falun-gong-epoch-times-middletown.html |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920231605/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/falun-gong-epoch-times-middletown.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Gan Jing World's director of media relations, Nick Janicki, has denied that there is any corporate connection between Gan Jing World and the ''Epoch Times'', but said the founders are "good friends".<ref name="Grevy2024" /> ''The Epoch Times'' publishes articles promoting Gan Jing World, presenting them as news. In turn, media owned by Epoch Media Group are promoted on the Gan Jing World website, including on the front page. Gan Jing World's content consists of videos that are often republished from ] without the original creator's consent.<ref name=Grevy2024>{{cite news |last=Grevy Gotfredsen |first=Sarah |date=March 19, 2024 |title=Unpacking Gan Jing World |url=https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/unpacking-gan-jing-world.php |work=] |access-date=3 June 2024 |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525115728/https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/unpacking-gan-jing-world.php |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, YouTube issued a ] order to Gan Jing World for unauthorized republishing of content obtained from YouTube.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Maiberg |first1=Emanuel |last2=Koebler |first2=Jason |date=2024-03-27 |title=YouTube Issues Cease and Desist to Bizarre Chinese YouTube Clone |url=https://www.404media.co/youtube-issues-cease-and-desist-to-gan-jing-world-bizarre-chinese-youtube-clone/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419204141/https://www.404media.co/youtube-issues-cease-and-desist-to-gan-jing-world-bizarre-chinese-youtube-clone/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Some readers has criticised ''The Nine Commentaries'', as it is unclear where the authors obtained some of this information, due to its lack of footnotes or references of sources. The prevailing tone of the editorials is staunchly anti-communist with no consideration given to other viewpoints, and is considered by some to be anti-communist propaganda. Supporters have attributed the attitude to the assumption that the intended Chinese audience who already knows the other side of the story need not be reminded of it.{{fact}}


In 2024, ''The Epoch Times'' entered the film industry with Epoch Studios (a branch of the Epoch Times Association) and its first release, ]. The executive director of Epoch Studios, Sally Sun, has previously supervised Epoch documentaries and streaming specials.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ortiz |first1=Erik |last2=Arkin |first2=Daniel |title=Epoch Times, the conspiratorial pro-Trump outlet, enters a new market: Faith-based movies |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epoch-studios-faith-movie-firing-squad-rcna158822 |publisher=NBC News |date=6 July 2024 |access-date=July 30, 2024 |archive-date=July 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730045936/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epoch-studios-faith-movie-firing-squad-rcna158822 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In December 2005, the author of the "Nine Commentaries" was identified as Zheng Peichun, a Chinese dissident, who was arrested on the charge of crimes against the state and was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. The paper has published a follow-up to the ''Nine Commentaries'', ''''.


== Finances ==
Li Hongzhi, the teacher of Falun Gong, has also told his disciples that they need to "spread widely" the Nine Commentaries so as to help in “disintegrating the vicious Party’s evil specter” as part of their “validating the Fa.”
According to ], "little is publicly known about the precise ownership, origins or influences of ''The Epoch Times''", and it is loosely organized into several regional ], under the umbrella of the Epoch Media Group, together with ].<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="Roose 2020b" /> ''The Epoch Times'' limits its expenses by primarily hiring unsalaried part-time volunteers.<ref name="Lawrence 2004">{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=Susan V. |title=Falun Gong Fields Media Weapons |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108190438992282143 |website=] |access-date=14 September 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230604140926/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/SB108190438992282143 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |date=14 April 2004 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Nakamura 2018" />


The newspaper's revenue has increased rapidly in recent years, from $3.8{{nbsp}}million in 2016 to $8.1{{nbsp}}million in 2017 (with spending of $7.2{{nbsp}}million), $12.4{{nbsp}}million in 2018<ref name="DB Kitze" /> and $15.5{{nbsp}}million in 2019.<ref name="Markay 2021" /><ref name="whBSI" /> Tax documents indicate that between 2012 and 2016, the group received $900,000 from a principal at ], a hedge fund led at the time by the conservative political donor ].<ref name="Clifton 2020" /> Chris Kitze, a former ] executive and creator of the fake news website ] who also manages a ] ], joined the paper's board as vice president in 2017.<ref name="DB Kitze" />
===CPC Renunciations and Controversy===
], Place d'Italie, February 26, 2006.]]
''The Epoch Times'' claims that the publication of the "Commentaries" and its subsequent call to CPC members to "erase the beastly brand" has caused . The Epoch Times obtains this number by tallying renunciation statements submitted to them via internet, fax, email, or telephone. This methodology is not scientific and widely disputed, and may not reflect the actual number of CPC resignations within China since anyone regardless of Chinese citizenship or CPC membership could submit their name and be counted as a person who has claimed to have renounced their CPC membership. Submissions include anonymous and unverifiable online signatures, duplicate signatures, and public declarations for people inside mainland China unable to access the online website due to ]. The count also includes any renunciations of past or current association with any CPC-affiliated organization. At their Chinese language renunciation website , it was stated that "the evils of the Communist Cult will be punished by God at Judgment Day", "The CPC will be destroyed in 2005", and called on members of the CPC to burn Communist memorabilia. These renunciations are not recognized as valid and official by the CPC, as they are not conducted through the proper channels via the party.


A 2020 ''New York Times'' report called ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} recent wealth "something of a mystery". ], the former executive chairman of '']'' who produced a documentary with NTD, said "I'd give them a number" on a project budget and "they'd come back and say, 'We're good for that number.'" Former employees say they were told ''The Epoch Times'' is financed by subscriptions, ads and donations from wealthy Falun Gong practitioners.<ref name="Roose 2020b" />
At their English language version of the renunciation website, the cumulative count of people who have allegedly quit the CCP appears as a sidebar to the internet form which captures English language denunciations of the CCP. An official Epoch Times statement appearing at the bottom of the page appears to conflate denunciations done by non CCP members on this page with the renunciations done by CCP members on the Chinese language page: "All the Epoch Times Offices worldwide will provide assistance to anybody who wants to denounce/renounce the Communist Party (or League). Chinese Version of This Page: <br />


Between 2019 and 2021, ''The Epoch Times'' increased its revenue by 685%, reaching $122{{nbsp}}million in 2021. Since 2019, it has gone mostly digital, spending millions on Facebook and YouTube advertisements (Facebook later banned the website, saying it "leveraged foreign actors posing as Americans to push political content"). {{As of|2023}}, ''The Epoch Times'' claims to be the US newspaper with the fourth-highest number of subscribers; this ranking cannot be verified as their circulation data is not audited by independent organizations.<ref name="NBC 10-13-2023">{{cite news |last=Zadrozny |first=Brandy |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epoch-times-falun-gong-growth-rcna111373 |title=How the conspiracy-fueled Epoch Times went mainstream and made millions |work=NBC News |date=October 13, 2023 |access-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014042433/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epoch-times-falun-gong-growth-rcna111373 |url-status=live }}</ref>
During the summer of 2005, two diplomats, Chen Yonglin and Hao Fengjun, defected from the Australian Embassy. The cases received international attention, and Chen Yonglin received some attention from the New York Times. The Epoch Times reported that their actions had been influenced by the Nine Commentaries. More recently, in a story beginning October 26th, 2006, Jia Jia, Secretary General of the Science and Technology Association of Shanxi Province, has made Epoch Times headlines due to his renunciation of the Chinese Communist Party. (http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-10-28/47497.html, http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-10-27/47482.html, http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-10-27/47465.html)<br />


=== Money laundering allegations ===
According to Epoch Times interviews, his actions were directly influenced by the Nine Commentaries, and Mr. Jia reports considerable discussion of the Commentaries and government dissatisfaction within China. ] and ] are among other media that picked up the story, interviewing Mr. Jia themselves.
On June 3, 2024, the ] of ''The Epoch Times'', Weidong "Bill" Guan, was indicted on federal charges in the ] and charged with one count of conspiring to commit ] and two counts of ] in a transnational scheme that lasted from 2020 to May 2024.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Baragona |first=Justin |date=2024-06-03 |title=Feds Accuse Far-Right Newspaper of Being a Money Laundering Operation |url=https://www.finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-accuse-far-newspaper-being-221435607.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604010745/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-accuse-far-newspaper-being-221435607.html |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=] |via=] }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Luscombe |first=Richard |date=2024-06-03 |title=DoJ accuses far-right Epoch Times of being money-laundering operation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/03/epoch-times-money-laundering-crypto-justice-department |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603232610/https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/03/epoch-times-money-laundering-crypto-justice-department |archive-date=June 3, 2024 |access-date=2024-06-04 |work=] |issn=0261-3077 }}</ref> The ] (DOJ) said that under Guan's leadership, ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} Make Money Online team had purchased crime proceeds using ] and transferred them into bank accounts held by entities affiliated with ''The Epoch Times''.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Honderich |first=Holly |date=June 4, 2024 |title=The Epoch Times CFO charged with $67m money laundering scheme |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg66xe59zyeo |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=] |language=en-GB |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604024602/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg66xe59zyeo |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the DOJ, tens of millions in money laundered funds were transferred to ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} bank accounts, inflating its revenue by 410%.<ref name=":1" />


''The Epoch Times'' said in a statement that Guan was "innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt", adding that it had "suspended him until this matter is resolved".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/05/media/pro-trump-epoch-times-money-laundering-charge|title=How a pro-Trump media outlet allegedly funneled tens of millions in an illicit money laundering scheme|date=June 5, 2024|access-date=June 8, 2024|website=]|last=Darcy|first=Oliver|archive-date=June 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608070101/https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/05/media/pro-trump-epoch-times-money-laundering-charge|url-status=live}}</ref> Founder John Tang later resigned from his role as CEO and the company's management was handed over to a transitional team. In response to the incident, the paper published statements written by Li Hongzhi, which criticized the paper's alleged financial misconduct and partisanship, calling on Falun Gong practitioners to cease making personal attacks on American political figures.<ref name="npr2024">{{cite news |last1=Joffe-Block |first1=Jude |date=15 June 2024 |title=Money laundering charges raise questions about the direction of The Epoch Times |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/06/13/nx-s1-5005297/epoch-times-turmoil-money-laundering |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=NPR |archive-date=June 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616182219/https://www.npr.org/2024/06/13/nx-s1-5005297/epoch-times-turmoil-money-laundering |url-status=live }}</ref>
''The Epoch Times'' has also reported severe unrest in China as a direct result of the publication of the "Commentaries", but no major news outlet has verified the paper's claims concerning the effects of the "Commentaries". The Epoch Times has been accused by some of wanting to overthrow the Chinese government without any guiding political philosophy. Critics nonetheless say the commentaries have had no discernible effect on Chinese politics, and that no CPC official in either the central or regional governments is known to have resigned on account of the "Commentaries".{{fact}}


== Distribution and marketing ==
==References==
]'s ] in 2015]]
<references />
''The Epoch Times'' publishes in 21 languages and 33 countries,<ref name="Perrone 2022" /> and has print editions in eight languages: Chinese, English, Spanish, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian.<ref name="NewsGuard 2020" /> Special print editions have also been erratically published in France.<ref name="LeFigaro" />


Between 2013 and 2020, ''The Epoch Times'' created 117,274 Facebook posts, rapidly increasing its social media audience by publishing its own far-right political content interspersed with ] entertainment videos obtained from media licensing companies such as ].<ref name="Peng 2023" /> According to a Facebook report released in August 2021, a subscription page for ''The Epoch Times'' received 44.2{{nbsp}}million views between April and June 2021.<ref name="EENews" /> Facebook data showed that one of the most popular pages in the first quarter of 2021 was a page run by ''The Epoch Times''.<ref name="TheTimes" /><ref name="Dwoskin 2021" /> With 9.1{{nbsp}}million Facebook followers in November 2021, ''The Epoch Times'' exceeded the follower counts of far-right news organizations '']'' and ] at the time.<ref name="Peng 2023" />
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Videos and ads from the Epoch Media Group, including ''The Epoch Times'' and New Tang Dynasty (NTD), totaled 3{{nbsp}}billion views on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in April 2019, according to the analytics company Tubular. This ranked it 11th among all video creators, and ahead of any other traditional news publisher, according to NBC News.<ref name="NBCNews" />
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{{As of|2021}}, ''The Epoch Times'' was the 7th most followed account on ], a ] known for its far-right userbase.<ref name="Lee 2021" />
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In 2024, billboards appeared in multiple US cities marketing ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} website with the slogan "#1 Trusted News" alongside a portrait of its reporter Joshua Philipp. Local news outlets questioned the veracity of the slogan in light of ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} history of publishing misinformation and the DOJ's indictment of its chief financial officer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Varn |first1=Kathryn |title=Billboards for The Epoch Times boast "#1 Trusted News." Here's the real story |url=https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2024/06/21/epoch-times-billboards-money-laundering-investigation |website=] |location=] |access-date=23 September 2024 |date=21 June 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923031424/https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2024/06/21/epoch-times-billboards-money-laundering-investigation |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jess |first1=Steve |last2=Ziegler |first2=Zac |title=Fact Check AZ: Is The Epoch Times really '#1 trusted news'? |url=https://news.azpm.org/s/99480-fact-check-az-is-the-epoch-times-really-1-trusted-news/ |website=] |access-date=23 September 2024 |language=en |date=19 September 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923031425/https://news.azpm.org/s/99480-fact-check-az-is-the-epoch-times-really-1-trusted-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Christian |first1=Sue Ellen |last2=Force |first2=Mary |last3=Lando |first3=Ben |title=A billboard campaign in southwest Michigan claims the Epoch Times is "#1 trusted news." Is it? |url=https://nowkalamazoo.org/2024/03/a-billboard-campaign-in-southwest-michigan-claims-the-epoch-times-is-1-trusted-news-is-it/ |website=NowKalamazoo |access-date=23 September 2024 |language=en-CA |date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923031426/https://nowkalamazoo.org/2024/03/a-billboard-campaign-in-southwest-michigan-claims-the-epoch-times-is-1-trusted-news-is-it/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Marty |title=Who Is Behind the Billboards Advertising The Epoch Times? |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/dr-know/2024/02/11/who-is-behind-the-billboards-advertising-the-epoch-times/ |website=] |access-date=23 September 2024 |language=en |date=11 February 2024 |archive-date=September 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908041514/https://www.wweek.com/news/dr-know/2024/02/11/who-is-behind-the-billboards-advertising-the-epoch-times/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
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== Editorial stance ==
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{{Conservatism in China|Media}}
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''The Epoch Times'' is an ardent opponent of the ].<ref name="NBCNews" /> Since a shift in the newspaper's approach in 2016, the newspaper received significant attention for its favorable coverage of the ],<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="Brown 2018" /> the ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Entwistle |first=Bryanna |date=August 28, 2024 |title=Donald Trump's China Rhetoric Has Changed. The Epoch Times' Support For Him Has Not. |url=https://thediplomat.com/2024/08/donald-trumps-china-rhetoric-has-changed-the-epoch-times-support-for-him-has-not/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref> the ],<ref name="Allen-Ebrahimian" /><ref name="Winterbauer 2016" /> and the ].<ref name="TheNewRepublic" /><ref name="Rougerie 2021" />

According to NBC News, ''The Epoch Times'' "generally stayed out of U.S. politics" before 2016 "unless they dovetailed with Chinese interests". Ben Hurley, a former Falun Gong practitioner and ''Epoch Times'' writer until 2013, said the paper was critical of abortion and LGBT people and that Falun Gong practitioners "saw communism everywhere", including in internationalist figures like ] and ], "but there was more room for disagreements in the early days".<ref name="NBCNews" />

Since 2016, according to NBC News, ''The Epoch Times'' has promoted favorable coverage of Trump's campaign and presidency, and emphasized topics like ] and ]. It has also emphasized "what the publication claims is ] led by Clinton and former President Barack Obama to tear down Trump".<ref name="NBCNews" />

A former ''Epoch Times'' reporter who covered the 2016 campaign, Steve Klett, said his editors had encouraged favorable coverage of Trump after he won the Republican nomination, and that "they seemed to have this almost messianic way of viewing Trump as the anti-Communist leader who would bring about the end of the Chinese Communist Party".<ref name="Roose 2020b" /> After Trump was elected, ''The Epoch Times'' hired Brendan Steinhauser, a ] strategist, to reach out to more conservatives and encourage the Trump administration to oppose the persecution of Falun Gong.<ref name="Roose 2020b" />

''The Epoch Times'' picks up mainstream ] stories and in some places can resemble a community newspaper.<ref name="waves2" /> According to sociologist Yuezhi Zhao, "While mainstream newspapers typically treat Web versions as an extension of the already-existing print version, ''The Epoch Times'' website serves as the master for all its worldwide papers."<ref name="zhao" />

''The Epoch Times'' is known for alleging ] involving former Communist Party general secretary ],<ref name="HPheartsandmind" /> under whose administration Falun Gong was suppressed in China.

The newspaper is at odds with the ]-owned and U.S.-based Chinese language newspaper '']'', calling it a "megaphone for the evil Chinese Communist Party".<ref name="HPheartsandmind" />

In September 2017, the German edition, ''The Epoch Times Deutschland'', which became online-only in 2012, was described by online magazine ''The China File'' as aligned with the German far-right, and attractive to supporters of the ] (AfD) party and the anti-immigrant group ].<ref name="Allen-Ebrahimian" /> Stefanie Albrecht, a reporter for the German broadcaster RTL who spent several days inside ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} Berlin office while investigating the far right, said that the staffers she met were all Falun Gong practitioners who had no journalistic training and did not ], trusting instead in the alternative sources they consulted. During her time at ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} office, Albrecht was exposed to debunked conspiracy theories such as ], the ], ] and the ].<ref name="TheNewRepublic" /><ref name="Perrone 2022" />

In ], ''The Epoch Times'' gives "an unfettered platform to ], the patriarch of the French far right, and his daughter, ], who leads the nationalist party her father founded", according to '']''.<ref name="TheNewRepublic" />

''The Epoch Times'' publishes ] content.<ref name="EENews" /><ref name="GuardianClimate" /> It promotes doubt about modern science and medicine, in line with Falun Gong's teachings. Elise Thomas of the ] noted, "Falun Gong has a history of rejecting modern medicine, which obviously intersects neatly with the beliefs of many ] communities." Ben Hurley said, "They've been anti-medicine for a long time. Ex-believers know many people that have died from treatable conditions. It's their belief that they don't need medicine, because they're superhuman beings."<ref name="Loucaides 2022" />

== Notable coverage ==
=== "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" editorials ===
In November 2004, the Chinese version of ''The Epoch Times'' published a series of editorials titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party". The editorials argued that China would not be free or prosperous until it was rid of the party, which it said was at odds with China's cultural and spiritual values.<ref name="Ford 2009" /> ''The Epoch Times'' also organized a campaign called the {{transliteration|zh|Tuidang}} movement, urging people to quit the Chinese Communist Party, and said that more than 2{{nbsp}}million people had resigned.<ref name="VOA200564" /> A report by the ] said that 90% of websites mentioning the phrase "Nine Commentaries" were blocked in mainland China as of 2005.<ref name="NCugR" /><ref name="censorship" />

Caylan Ford, a former staff writer for ''The Epoch Times,'' wrote in a 2009 guest opinion article in '']'' that millions of copies of the "Nine Commentaries" articles were circulated in China by email, fax, and underground printing houses. Ford wrote that the campaign differed from the 1989 and 2008 democracy movements in China by drawing on Buddhist and Daoist spirituality.<ref name="Ford 2009" />

In 2012, a former ] Air Force officer testified to the ] that he had been sentenced to four years of prison for distributing a "Nine Commentaries" DVD in Beijing.<ref name="CEC 2013" />

The {{transliteration|zh|Tuidang}} movement was called one of the top global events in 2011 by Russian economist ], who cited claims by ''The Epoch Times'' that over 100{{nbsp}}million people had quit.<ref name="RUS" />

Li Yi, a Hong Kong-based democratic activist, questioned ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} claims about the number of resignations in an '']'' opinion piece in 2006, warned that the {{transliteration|zh|Tuidang}} movement could be using "lies to fight lies", and wrote that the propagandistic nature of the movement could hurt the integrity of the pro-democracy community.<ref name="ly" />

According to China scholar David Ownby, the Nine Commentaries are a "condemnation of communism and a direct indictment of the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party's rule in China". While acknowledging the "unnecessary violence" the Chinese Communist Party has inflicted, Ownby finds that the lack of balance and nuance in tone and style makes the editorials resemble "anti-Communist propaganda written in Taiwan in the 1950s".<ref name="Ownby" /> Journalist Oscar Schwartz called the Nine Commentaries a "quasi-] screed".<ref name="Schwartz 2020" />

=== Pro-Trump conspiracy theories and disinformation ===
] on November 14, 2020, in Washington, D.C., distributing copies of ''The Epoch Times'' featuring a headline that quotes Donald Trump's disputed claim about the results of the ].]]

''The Epoch Times'' has promoted an array of pro-] conspiracy theories<ref name="Silverman" /><ref name="NBC News 2019" /><ref name="Bensinger_Homans_6/3/2024">{{cite web | last1=Bensinger | first1=Ken | last2=Homans | first2=Charles | title=Epoch Times Executive Accused of Laundering $67 Million | website=] | date=June 3, 2024 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/us/politics/epoch-times-money-laundering-doj.html | access-date=June 5, 2024 | archive-date=August 21, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821041737/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/us/politics/epoch-times-money-laundering-doj.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and is known as one of Trump's closest media allies and defenders.<ref name="Silverman" /><ref name="Brown 2018" />

The paper has financially benefited from its promotion of Trump conspiracies, increasing its revenue nearly fourfold during the first three years of Trump's administration (from $3.9{{nbsp}}million in 2016 to $15.5{{nbsp}}million in 2019) as it catered to Trump's most ardent supporters, to whom the paper marketed itself via targeted social media advertising.<ref name="EENews" /><ref name="Markay" />

The publication championed Trump's ] in its news coverage and advertising, and the Epoch Media Group's ''Edge of Wonder'' videos on YouTube spread the far-right, pro-Trump ]<ref name="NBCNews" /> and embraced false QAnon claims.<ref name="Daily Dot 2019" />

An NBC News report found that two of ''Edge of Wonder''{{'s}} hosts have been a creative director and chief photo editor at ''The Epoch Times''. The newspaper promoted ''Edge of Wonder'' videos in dozens of Facebook posts through 2019.<ref name="NBCNews" />

In September 2019, during the ], ]'s ] article included dubious claims about his business dealings in Ukraine and his father ]'s motivations for going after a Ukrainian prosecutor; the claims were sourced to ''The Epoch Times'' and '']''.<ref name="GiIaK" /> ''The Epoch Times'' promoted the conspiracy theory that ] in 2016 to protect Hunter's business interests in Ukraine.<ref name="Mackey 2020" />

During the February ], ''The Epoch Times'' shared viral ] from the conservative group ] that falsely alleged inflated voter rolls.<ref name="Zadrozny 2020" /><ref name="Wong 2020" /> The disinformation, which went viral on Facebook, was debunked by fact checkers and the Iowa secretary of state.<ref name="Wong 2020" /><ref name="Zadrozny 2020a" /><ref name="Matsakis 2020" /> A Harvard media expert said that ''The Epoch Times'' employed a "classic disinformation tactic" known as "]", in which false stories are repackaged and shared.<ref name="Zadrozny 2020" />

After Trump lost the ], ''The Epoch Times'' consistently sought to question the election results.<ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021" /> The organization produced a 93-minute video that falsely suggested widespread fraud in the counting; one interviewee, attorney ], falsely alleged that ] had bought an American election vendor.<ref name="Swenson 2020" /> Versions of the video on YouTube, the ''Epoch Times'' website and ] were viewed hundreds of thousands of times.<ref name="Swenson 2020" />

''The Epoch Times'' created a network of seven new ] channels to disseminate election disinformation and other false claims, including falsehoods about the ].<ref name="Silverman" /> Only one of the seven YouTube channels disclosed its ties to ''The Epoch Times'' or Falun Gong.<ref name="Silverman" /> In the two and a half months after their creation, the disinformation channels garnered tens of millions of views and at least 1.1{{nbsp}}million subscribers.<ref name="Silverman" />

One of the channels ("Eye Opener With Michael Lewis") portrays itself as an independent effort by the host "and a few friends".<ref name="Silverman" /> After the videos' false and misleading claims were reported, YouTube removed several of the videos in accordance with the site's policy against election disinformation.<ref name="Silverman" />

The newspaper helped publicize the January 6, 2021, Trump rally in Washington, D.C., that led to the ] by a violent pro-Trump mob. Afterward, one of its columnists suggested that the riot was a "]" operation,<ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/undercover-dc-police-officer-pushed-protesters-toward-capitol-climbed-over-barricade-court-filing-5067663 |title=Undercover DC Police Officer Pushed Protesters Toward Capitol, Climbed Over Barricade: Court Filing |last=Hanneman |first=Joseph |date=February 18, 2023 |website=The Epoch Times |publisher= |access-date=August 8, 2023 |quote=New filings by Jan. 6 defendant William Pope of Topeka, Kansas, also show MPD bicycle officers stopping four armed men in plainclothes on Jan. 6. The men turned out to be federal agents. Video included with Pope's filings also shows uniformed MPD officers saying, 'We were set up .' |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230239/https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/undercover-dc-police-officer-pushed-protesters-toward-capitol-climbed-over-barricade-court-filing-5067663 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Michael Lewis's ''Epoch Times''-linked YouTube channel echoed the same lie, suggesting that the Capitol attack was orchestrated by "]" as part of an "old Communist tactic".<ref name="Silverman" />

===COVID-19 coverage and misinformation===
{{See also|COVID-19 misinformation|COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy}}

''The Epoch Times'' has spread ] in print and via social media including Facebook and YouTube.<ref name="Manavis 2020" /><ref name="Health Feedback 2020" /> In 2022, Raquel Miguel of the European watchdog EU DisinfoLab said, "''The Epoch Times'' has played a noticeable role in transmitting and amplifying many anti-vaccine narratives".<ref name="Perrone 2022" /> According to Josef Holnburger of the ], a German extremism monitoring agency, ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} German edition has been the most shared outlet among Germany's COVID-skeptic movement.<ref name="Loucaides 2022" />

It has promoted anti-CCP rhetoric and ] about the pandemic, for example through an eight-page special edition called "How the Chinese Communist Party Endangered the World", which was distributed unsolicited in April 2020 to mail customers in the United States, Canada, and Australia,<ref name="Bellemare 2020" /><ref name="Nine News 2020" /> and in June 2020 in the United Kingdom.<ref name="Ondrak 2020" />

In the newspaper, the ] virus is known as the "] virus",<ref name="Manavis 2020" /><ref name="Bellemare 2020" /><ref name="Mackey 2020" /> and a commentary in the paper posed the question, "is the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan an accident occasioned by weaponizing the virus at that lab?"<ref name="Manavis 2020" /><ref name="Bellemare 2020" /> The paper's editorial board suggested that COVID-19 patients cure themselves by "condemning the CCP" and "maybe a miracle will happen".<ref name="DB Kitze" />

In France, "special" French-language print editions of ''The Epoch Times'' were distributed in 2021 during anti-] ].<ref name="LeFigaro" /> In Germany, ''The Epoch Times'' has published articles blasting the legitimacy of ]s and promoting conspiracy theories about vaccination mishaps.<ref name="Perrone 2022" />

The misinformation tracker ] called the French page of ''The Epoch Times'' one of the "super-spreaders" of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook, citing an ''Epoch Times'' article that suggested the virus was artificially created.<ref name="Holroyd 2020" /><ref name="NewsGuard" /> NewsGuard later changed the rating of the English edition of ''The Epoch Times'' from green to red.<ref name="NewsGuard 2020" />

A February 17, 2020, ''Epoch Times'' story shared a map from the internet that falsely alleged massive sulfur dioxide releases from crematoria during the ] in China, speculating that 14,000 bodies may have been burned.<ref name="AFP Fact Check 2020" /> A fact check by ] reported that the map was a NASA forecast taken out of context.<ref name="AFP Fact Check 2020" />

A widely viewed video released by ''The Epoch Times'' on April 7, 2020, was flagged by Facebook as "partly false" for "the unsupported hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is a bioengineered virus released from a Wuhan research laboratory". The video featured ], an anti-vaccination activist.<ref name="MeIoC" /><ref name="BuzzFeed 2020" /> The fact-checker Health Feedback said of the video that "several of its core scientific claims are false and its facts, even when accurate, are often presented in a misleading way".<ref name="Health Feedback 2020" /> The video was a 54-minute feature on Joshua Philipp's ''Crossroads'' EpochTV series.<ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021"/><ref name="BuzzFeed 2020"/>

On April 29, 2020, a ] (CBC) story reported that some Canadians were upset to receive a special edition of ''The Epoch Times'' that called COVID-19 the "CCP virus". The CBC later retracted a headline on its story that had quoted a recipient saying the special edition was "racist and inflammatory", and the CBC also retracted a claim that ''The Epoch Times'' edition had concluded that COVID-19 was a bioweapon.<ref name="Bellemare 2020" /> Opinion columns published by conservative tabloid '']'' accused the CBC of bias against ''The Epoch Times''<ref name="Furey 2020" /><ref name="Matas and Kilgour 2020" /> and said the CBC's report may have misled readers into thinking ''The Epoch Times'' was spreading anti-Asian sentiment.<ref name="Matas and Kilgour 2020" />

In February 2021, an investigator for EU DisinfoLab found that {{lang|es|Tierra Pura}}, a Spanish-language website first launched in Argentina in March 2020 that publishes COVID-19 misinformation, is closely linked to ''The Epoch Times'' and Falun Gong. At the time, the site was the most shared outlet in Spain's COVID-19-skeptic ] channels and groups. ''The Epoch Times'' and {{lang|es|Tierra Pura}} denied being linked.<ref name="Hazard 2021" /><ref name="Loucaides 2021" /><ref name="Miguel 2021" />

In January 2022, the German edition of ''The Epoch Times'' amplified accusations by German activist Steffen Löhnitz that the Austrian government had deliberately inflated infection numbers to justify a lockdown. It said Löhnitz had been digging up "correct numbers" and reported his claims of "massive fraud" as fact. The ''Epoch Times'' story was shared by figures from {{lang|de|]}}, Germany's anti-lockdown movement.<ref name="Perrone 2022" />

=== Other ===
In 2010, the paper ran an interview with Canadian Conservative Member of Parliament ] wherein Anders alleged that the Chinese government used gifts and business deals in attempts to influence Canadian political decisions.<ref name="Secrecy" /><ref name="Vancouver Courier 2010" />

''The Epoch Times'' published a web series with conservative commentator ], a candidate in the 2021 recall election against California governor ].<ref name="Weigel 2021" />

== Social media activity and bans ==

=== Ads banned by Facebook and YouTube ===
The Epoch Media Group spent $11{{nbsp}}million on Facebook ads in 2019,<ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021" /> including, over a six-month period in 2019, more than $1.5{{nbsp}}million on about 11,000 pro-Trump Facebook advertisements purchased by ''The Epoch Times''.<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="BI-facebook" /><ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021" /> According to publicly available Facebook ad data reported by NBC News, ''The Epoch Times'' spent more on pro-Trump ads than any group except the Trump campaign itself.<ref name="NBCNews" /><ref name="BI-facebook" />

Political ad spending on Facebook in April 2019 through an account called "Coverage of the Trump Presidency by The Epoch Times" exceeded any politician's spending except Trump's and ]'s. Journalist ] wrote in May 2019 that ''The Epoch Times'' ads were "boosting Donald Trump and floating conspiracy theories about Joe Biden".<ref name="FWIW: Where are they now" />

In August 2019, ] banned ''The Epoch Times'' from advertising on its platform after finding that the paper broke its political transparency rules by publishing pro-Trump subscription ads through ] pages such as "Honest Paper" and "Pure American Journalism".<ref name="Zadrozny-bans-CNBC" /><ref name="Gartenberg 2019" /> A Facebook representative told NBC: "Over the past year we removed accounts associated with ''The Epoch Times'' for violating our ad policies, including trying to get around our review systems."<ref name="Zadrozny-bans-CNBC" />

''The Epoch Times'' publisher, Stephen Gregory, wrote in response that the paper did not intend to violate Facebook's rules and that its video ads were advertisements for subscriptions to the newspaper.<ref name="Zadrozny-bans-CNBC" />

After Facebook banned it from advertising, the newspaper shifted its spending to ], where it has spent more than $1.8{{nbsp}}million on ads, some promoting conspiracy theories, since May 2018.<ref name="Roose 2020a" /><ref name="Roose 2020b" /> YouTube demonetized ''Edge of Wonder'', a program of the Epoch Media Group, on its platform, and removed ''Epoch Times'' ads relating to COVID-19.<ref name="Daily Dot 2020" />

=== Removal of ''The BL (The Beauty of Life)'' from Facebook ===
In October 2019, the fact-checking website ] reported close links between ''The Epoch Times'' and a large network of Facebook pages and groups called ''The BL'' (''The Beauty of Life'') that shared pro-Trump views and conspiracy theories such as ]. At that time, ''The BL'' had spent at least $510,698 on Facebook advertising.<ref name="Snopes 2019a" /> Hundreds of the ads were removed for violations of Facebook's advertising rules. By December 2019, the ''BL'' network of pages had 28{{nbsp}}million Facebook followers, according to ''Snopes''.<ref name="Snopes 2019b" />

The editor-in-chief of ''The BL'' had previously worked as editor-in-chief of ''The Epoch Times,'' and several other ''BL'' employees were listed as current or former ''Epoch Times'' employees.<ref name="Snopes 2019a" /> ''The BL'' was registered in ], ], to an address that also was registered to Falun Gong's ] radio network and was associated with the YouTube series ''Beyond Science,'' and Snopes found "the outlet as a whole is literally the English-language edition of ''Epoch Times'' Vietnam".<ref name="Snopes 2019a" /><ref name="Snopes 2019b" />

Snopes found that ''The BL'' was using more than 300 fake Facebook profiles based in Vietnam and other countries, using names, stock photos and celebrity photos in their profiles to emulate Americans, to administer more than 150 pro-Trump Facebook groups amplifying its content.<ref name="Snopes 2019b" /><ref name="Snopes 2019c" />

''The Epoch Times'' and ''The BL'' denied being affiliated with each other, although the latter acknowledged that a "few of our staff" previously worked for ''The Epoch Times''.<ref name="Snopes 2019a" />

In December 2019, Facebook announced it had removed a large network of accounts, pages, and groups linked to The BL and Epoch Media Group for coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign actor. The network had 55{{nbsp}}million followers on Facebook and Instagram, and $9.5{{nbsp}}million had been spent on Facebook ads through its accounts.<ref name="Facebook 2019" />

''The New York Times'' reported that The BL had used fake profile photos generated by ]. The ] director Graham Brookie said the coordinated network of fake accounts demonstrated "an eerie, tech-enabled future of disinformation". Facebook's head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said, "What's new here is that this is purportedly a U.S.-based media company leveraging foreign actors posing as Americans to push political content. We've seen it a lot with state actors in the past."<ref name="NYT 2019" /><ref name="NBC News 2019" />

In August 2020, Snopes reported that ''The BL'' had evaded Facebook's link ban by creating a clone named ''The Lion'' in July. Facebook placed a link ban on ''The Lion'' after Snopes contacted it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kasprak |first=Alex |date=2020-08-05 |title=Media Outlet The BL Evaded a Facebook Ban By Making Copy of Self |url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/08/05/the-bl-evaded-facebook-ban/ |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=Snopes |language=en |archive-date=August 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822125550/https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/08/05/the-bl-evaded-facebook-ban/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Removal of ''TruthMedia'' from Facebook ===
On August 6, 2020, Facebook removed hundreds of fake accounts by a digital company called TruthMedia that promoted ''Epoch Times'' and ] content and pro-Trump conspiracy theories about ] and ]<ref name="Graphika 2020" /><ref name="NBC News 2020" /> The operation included 303 Facebook accounts, 181 pages, 44 Facebook groups and 31 ] accounts,<ref name="SuuJ0" /> which in total were followed by more than 2 million people.<ref name="NBC News 2020" /> Snopes and NBC News reported that TruthMedia had ties to the Epoch Media Group,<ref name="Snopes 2020" /><ref name="NBC News 2020" /> but Stephen Gregory, publisher of ''The Epoch Times'', denied this.<ref name="NBC News 2020" />

TruthMedia, now banned from Facebook, continues to operate YouTube channels in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Vietnamese, and has accounts on ] and ].<ref name="Graphika 2020" /> It appears to have begun a ] to "start calling the novel coronavirus the CCP virus".<ref name="NBC News 2020" /><ref name="Graphika 2020" />

=== SafeChat ===
In March 2021, ] reported that SafeChat, a social media platform rife with ] and conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden that is popular with Trump supporters and Chinese dissidents, was closely linked to ''The Epoch Times'' and Falun Gong.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Mark |last2=Nguyen |first2=Tina |date=March 16, 2021 |title=MAGA voters discovered a new home online. But it isn't what it seems. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/16/maga-safechat-falun-gong-epoch-476215 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=Politico |language=en |archive-date=December 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216233442/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/16/maga-safechat-falun-gong-epoch-476215 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Censorship by the Chinese government==
In some cases ''The Epoch Times'' operates in a hostile overseas environment, in which "overseas Chinese media companies choosing to remain independent or publish non-approved content become the targets of an aggressive campaign of elimination or control".<ref name="To 2014" /> In one instance, Chinese diplomatic officials made threats against media for reporting Falun Gong-related content; in other cases, advertisers and distributors have been threatened for supporting ''The Epoch Times''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Long Shadow of Chinese Censorship |url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2013/long-shadow-chinese-censorship |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=Freedom House |language=en |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228021017/https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2013/long-shadow-chinese-censorship |url-status=live }}</ref> Communist Party authorities have been accused of resorting to "militant methods" against the paper and its staff, including attacking staff and destroying computer equipment.<ref name="To 2014" />

In 2006, the ] criticized what it called a "dirty war" against ''The Epoch Times'', citing incidents such as ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} ] printing plant being broken into and damaged by unidentified men, and Epoch's offices in ] and ] receiving suspicious mail envelopes suspected of containing toxic materials. The IFJ also noted incidences of ''Epoch Times'' staff and advertisers being intimidated, and newspapers being confiscated, in what it characterized as "a vicious witch-hunt aimed at crushing the voice of dissent".<ref name="IFJ 2006" />

The newspaper was briefly banned from Malaysia after coming under reported pressure by the Chinese Communist Party.<ref name="Sun2009" />

In 2016, the newspaper was removed from the pharmacy of ] after the president of the ] confronted the pharmacist and threw out the papers. The incident drew national media coverage over questions of Chinese government-sponsored overseas student organizations.<ref name="Joske 2016" /><ref name="AFR 2016" />

In November 2019, ] called on ] Chief Executive ] to protect press freedoms after ''The Epoch Times'' said four masked arsonists with batons had damaged its printing press.<ref name="Reporters Without Borders 2019" /> Additionally, in a 2019 report, Reporters Without Borders said that ''The Epoch Times''{{'s}} chief technical officer, Li Yuan, was assaulted in his ], ], home on February 8, 2006, by "suspected Chinese government agents" who took his two laptops.<ref name="RSF2019RE" />

On April 12, 2021, the Hong Kong printing facility was vandalized during working hours, in the presence of staff members. The attack was captured by the ] camera, ].<ref name="Ransacked 2021" /><ref name="Masked ransack" />

The 2022 film '']'' was blocked from release in China after the film was submitted for review and footage that made reference to ''The Epoch Times'' was found.<ref name="Tartaglione 2022" />

The Hong Kong print edition of the newspaper ceased publication after September 17, 2024 due to the expiry of its printer's contract which could not be renewed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Epoch Times ceases publication on 9/18. Website continues to operate.|url=https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%e6%b8%af%e8%81%9e/article/20240907/s00002/1725647999160|access-date=September 7, 2024|archive-date=September 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907215928/https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%e6%b8%af%e8%81%9e/article/20240907/s00002/1725647999160/%e5%a4%a7%e7%b4%80%e5%85%839-18%e8%b5%b7%e5%81%9c%e5%88%8a-%e7%b6%b2%e7%ab%99%e7%ba%8c%e9%81%8b%e4%bd%9c|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3277563/epoch-times-media-outlet-suspend-print-edition-hong-kong|title=Epoch Times media outlet to suspend print edition in Hong Kong|date=September 7, 2024|website=South China Morning Post|access-date=September 7, 2024|archive-date=September 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907215927/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3277563/epoch-times-media-outlet-suspend-print-edition-hong-kong|url-status=live}}</ref>

== White House controversies ==
In April 2006, a reporter with temporary ''Epoch Times'' press credentials unfurled a protest banner and heckled China's leader ] at a summit with ], shouting, "Stop him from killing!" and "Evil people will die early", prompting Chinese officials to refuse to attend a ceremonial lunch in protest.<ref name="Baker 2013" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2006 |title=Protester disrupts Hu speech at White House |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12406046 |access-date=July 13, 2023 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713011758/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12406046 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Epoch Times'' later disassociated itself from the reporter.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bone |first=James |date=April 22, 2006 |title=Ivy League students avoid shady business of protest |language=en |work=] |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ivy-league-students-avoid-shady-business-of-protest-56kqs7kgchw |url-status=live |access-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211025063530/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ivy-league-students-avoid-shady-business-of-protest-56kqs7kgchw |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

In September 2018, ''Epoch Times'' photographer Samira Bouaou broke White House protocol and handed Trump a folder.<ref name="Nakamura 2018" /> In August 2020, the ] objected to the Trump administration's bending of COVID-19 social distancing rules in press briefings to favor ''The Epoch Times,'' '']'' and ].<ref name="Farhi 2020" /><ref name="Mackey 2020" />

== Assessments ==
Ming Xia, a political science professor at the ], wrote in 2007 that ''The Epoch Times'' represents part of ]'s strategic effort to expand to non-practitioners, and "embed itself into the large civil society for influence and legitimacy".<ref name="thepost" /> In 2018, he stated that ''The Epoch Times'' staff "are not professional journalists and do not follow the ]".<ref name="Nakamura 2018" />

The misinformation tracker ] said that ''The Epoch Times'' "fails to gather and present information responsibly, rarely corrects or clarifies errors and remains opaque as to its ownership and funding".<ref name="Perrone 2022" /><ref name="NewsGuard 2020" />

''The Epoch Times'' has been criticized by some scholars for biases, particularly regarding the Chinese Communist Party and mainland China issues, as well as for being a "mouthpiece" of the Falun Gong movement.{{refn|<ref name="Groot, Stafford 2012" /><ref name="Thornton2008" /><ref name="Hua To 2014" /><ref name="Elwood2007" /><ref name="Sun2009" /><ref name="Denton2011" />}} James To<!-- Not the Hong Kong legislator -->, a New Zealand political scientist, described ''The Epoch Times'' as the "primary mouthpiece" of Falun Gong, writing that it "lacks credibility", despite the newspaper posing a "viable threat to the CCP" by publishing articles about the party's negative aspects.<ref name="KovXb" />

In his book ''Blocked on Weibo: What Gets Suppressed on China's Version of Twitter and Why,'' ] ] Jason Q. Ng referred to the paper's coverage of mainland China issues as "heavily biased against the Communist Party" and thus its reportage "should be viewed skeptically".<ref name="Ng 2013" />

A 2018 report by the ], a conservative think tank, called ''The Epoch Times'' one of the few independent Chinese-language media outlets in the U.S. not taken over by businessmen sympathetic to the Chinese government and one that remains "independent of PRC control".<ref name="Hoover2018" /> The report also said that reports on China by ''The Epoch Times'' and other outlets affiliated with Falun Gong, which is banned from China, are "uneven".<ref name="Hoover2018" />

In his 2019 book, '']'', ] Andrew Junker argued that "simply by increasing the plurality of voices in the diaspora Chinese-language public sphere," ''The Epoch Times'' was "playing a progressive role" despite the Falun Gong community's "pariah status" limiting the publication's influence.<ref>{{Citation |title=Becoming Activists in Global China |date=2019 |work=Becoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora |pages=186 |editor-last=Junker |editor-first=Andrew |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/becoming-activists-in-global-china/becoming-activists-in-global-china/85EB2B37633826E84648959601764C7B |access-date=2024-05-04 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-48299-8 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604040413/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/becoming-activists-in-global-china/becoming-activists-in-global-china/85EB2B37633826E84648959601764C7B |url-status=live }}</ref>

Seth Hettena wrote in '']'' that ''The Epoch Times'' "has built a global propaganda machine, similar to Russia's ] or ], that pushes a mix of ] and conspiracy theories that has won it far-right acolytes around the world".<ref name="TheNewRepublic" />

] of the ] at ] called ''The Epoch Times'' "a known disinformation operation".<ref name="Zadrozny 2020" /> Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communication at ]'s ], said that ''The Epoch Times'' is "a notorious outlet that has been known to spread disinformation and misinformation".<ref name="EENews" />

James Bettinger, a professor of communications at ] and the director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships, said "Even if ''Epoch Times'' is not associated with Falun Gong, if they consistently write about Falun Gong in the same perspective, or if there are no articles examining Falun Gong, people would perceive it as being not credible."<ref name="waves2" /> Orville Schell, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at ], said in 2005 that "It's hard to vouch for their quality because it's difficult to corroborate, but it's not something to be dismissed as pure propaganda."<ref name="sfgate23" />

In his 2008 book on Falun Gong, David Ownby wrote that ''The Epoch Times'' articles are "well written and interesting, if occasionally idiosyncratic in their coverage".<ref name="Ownby" /><ref name="morais" /><ref name="Berkley" /> According to Ownby, the newspaper has been praised and also criticized for a perceived bias against the CCP, and support of Falun Gong practitioners and other dissidents such as Tibetans, Taiwanese independence advocates, democracy activists, Uyghurs and others. The paper is therefore often assessed in light of its connection to Falun Gong, rather than a thorough analysis of its editorial content.<ref name="Ownby" />

], a former Beijing University journalism professor who was dismissed after criticizing the CCP ], proposed that even if ''The Epoch Times'' published only negative information highly critical of the CCP, its attacks could never begin to counterbalance the propaganda the party publishes about itself. In addressing media balance, Jiao noted that the Chinese public lacked negative, critical information about their country. As such, he noted for a need of media balance based on the principles of freedom, equality, and legality, and that media balance "is the result of the collective imbalances of all".<ref name="Thornton2008" />

Haifeng Huang, professor of political science at the University of California, said, "I'm not exactly clear why they have become such a major pro-Trump voice" but "part of it is perhaps because they regard President Trump as tough on the Chinese government and therefore a natural ally for them".<ref name="Roose 2020a" />

The web-only German edition of the paper, ''Epoch Times Deutschland'', has aligned with the anti-immigration ] in Germany, favorably commenting on ] and ] while criticizing mainstream German media as untrustworthy.<ref name="Allen-Ebrahimian" /> Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian of '']'' writes that "It's not clear why the German website of a Falun Gong newspaper would choose to promote right-wing populism in Germany" but that the decision could be a business decision to drive an increase in views of the publication, or because such views reflect the teaching of Falun Gong leader ], "who believes that mixed-race children are 'pitiable' and 'physically and intellectually incomplete'".<ref name="Allen-Ebrahimian" />

A German media report described the outlet as a "favorite" of Pegida supporters, along with Sputnik News and ], and found that its articles critical of immigration have been shared almost daily.<ref name="Winterbauer 2016" />

A report by the ], a London-based think tank, said the German edition of ''The Epoch Times'' "primarily runs anti-West, anti-American and pro-Kremlin content—a high proportion of this content is based on unverified information".<ref name="TheNewRepublic" /><ref name="Institute for Strategic Dialogue 2017" />

In December 2019, the ] ] the English and Chinese online versions of ''The Epoch Times'' as an "unreliable source" to use as a reference in Misplaced Pages, with editors calling it "an advocacy group for the Falun Gong, and{{nbsp}} a biased or opinionated source that frequently publishes conspiracy theories".<ref name="l0i2B" />

In March 2022, ], head of watchdog group ], said that ''The Epoch Times'' "go where the center for the strongest infrastructure or possibility of getting as much audience and influence and reach is", and added that this complexity makes it "radically different and hard to understand". According to Carusone, the metric of success for ''The Epoch Times'' is simply influence rather than money or a specific political agenda.<ref name="Perrone 2022" />

== Litigation ==
''The Epoch Times'' and its co-founder Dana Cheng sued '']'' reporter Dan Neumann for ] after Neumann reported on Cheng's promotion of conspiracy theories about the ] in June 2021. In October 2022, the paper lost an effort to revive the lawsuit, with the judges finding that the alleged defamatory reporting was ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kalmbacher |first=Colin |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Epoch Times Loses Defamation Lawsuit About 'Substantially True' Reporting on Co-Founder's Jan. 6th Conspiracy Theories |url=https://lawandcrime.com/first-amendment/epoch-times-loses-defamation-lawsuit-about-substantially-true-reporting-on-co-founders-jan-6th-conspiracy-theories/ |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318233316/https://lawandcrime.com/first-amendment/epoch-times-loses-defamation-lawsuit-about-substantially-true-reporting-on-co-founders-jan-6th-conspiracy-theories/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Awards ==
In 2014, the newspaper's reporting won several journalism awards, which ''The New York Times'' later described as indicative of ''The Epoch Times'' "edging closer to Mr. Li's vision of a respectable news outlet", before it changed course in 2015 and 2016 to focus on viral content and a "Trump pivot".<ref name="Roose 2020b" />

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Peng 2023">{{cite journal
|last1 = Peng
|first1 = Yilang
|last2 = Yang
|first2 = Tian
|last3 = Fang
|first3 = Kecheng
|title = The dark side of entertainment? How viral entertaining media build an attention base for the far-right politics of ''The Epoch Times''
|journal = ]
|publisher = ]
|date = 27 October 2023
|doi = 10.1177/14614448231205893
|url = https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14614448231205893
|url-access = subscription
|access-date = 19 September 2024
|language = en
|issn = 1461-4448
|quote = We examined the Facebook newsfeed history of ''The Epoch Times'' (''N'' = 117,274 posts from 2013 to 2020), which transitioned from a niche anti-China publication to an influential player in US far-right politics. Our case—''The Epoch Times''—is an important example of far-right media outlets using far-right political content to attract attention.
|archive-date = September 20, 2024
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240920231606/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14614448231205893
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Dark Platforms">{{cite journal
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| publisher = ]
| date = October 21, 2021
| volume = 9
| issue = 9
| pages = 1321–1343
| doi = 10.1080/21670811.2021.1938165
| doi-access = free
| quote = In contrast, Gab users who shared more far-right "fake news" websites are relatively more visible on Gab. Some of the most cited sources under this category include the Unhived Mind (''N'' = 2,729), Epoch Times (''N'' = 1,303), Natural News (''N'' = 1,301), Breitbart (''N'' = 769), the Gateway Pundit (''N'' = 422), and InfoWars (''N'' = 656).
}}</ref>
<ref name="Zhang Davis 2022">{{cite journal
| last1 = Zhang
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| last2 = Davis
| first2 = Mark
| title = E-extremism: A conceptual framework for studying the online far right
| journal = ]
| date = June 7, 2022
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| url = https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448221098360
| url-access = subscription
| access-date = September 5, 2022
| language = en
| issn = 1461-4448
| publisher = ]
| s2cid = 249482748
| quote = Beyond US-based far-right news websites such as ''Breitbart'', ''Infowars'' and ''Epoch Times'', other alternative online media outlets include Australia-based ''XYZ'' and ''The Unshackled'', Canada-based ''Rebel News'' and UK-based ''Politicalite.com'' and ''PoliticalUK.co.uk'', just to name a few, which operate as far-right metapolitical channels and counter-publics that strive to influence mainstream culture and discourse (Holt, 2019).
| archive-date = October 1, 2022
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| archive-date = September 29, 2022
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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171028135010/http://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/media/german-edition-of-falun-gong-affiliated-epoch-times-aligns-far-right
| archive-date = October 28, 2017
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Roose 2020b">{{Cite news
| last = Roose
| first = Kevin
| author-link = Kevin Roose
| date = October 24, 2020
| title = How The Epoch Times Created a Giant Influence Machine
| language = en-US
| work = The New York Times
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/technology/epoch-times-influence-falun-gong.html
| url-status = live
| access-date = October 24, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211225013104/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/technology/epoch-times-influence-falun-gong.html
| archive-date = December 25, 2021
| issn = 0362-4331
}}</ref>
<ref name="Brown 2018">{{Cite news
| last = Brown
| first = Hayes
| date = October 23, 2018
| title = A Newspaper Banned In China Is Now One Of Trump's Biggest Defenders
| work = BuzzFeed News
| url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hayesbrown/epoch-times-trump-administration-falun-gong
| access-date = December 20, 2019
| archive-date = August 22, 2019
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| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Gartenberg 2019">{{Cite web
| url = https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/23/20830229/epoch-times-facebook-ban-buying-ads-violating-policies-trump-propaganda
| title = Epoch Times banned from advertising after sneaking pro-Trump propaganda onto Facebook
| last = Gartenberg
| first = Chaim
| date = August 23, 2019
| website = The Verge
| language = en
| access-date = December 16, 2019
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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308211510/https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/23/20830229/epoch-times-facebook-ban-buying-ads-violating-policies-trump-propaganda//
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}}</ref>
<ref name="Silverman">{{Cite web
| author = Silverman
| first = Craig
| date = January 8, 2021
| title = This Pro-Trump YouTube Network Sprang Up Just After He Lost
| url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/epoch-times-trump-you-tube
| access-date = January 31, 2022
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| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Congressional Research Service">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf
| title = China and Falun Gong
| author = Thomas Lum
| date = August 11, 2006
| publisher = Congressional Research Service
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120205064042/http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf
| archive-date = February 5, 2012
}}<!-- page CRS-8, list of Falun Gong-affiliated media --></ref>
<ref name="zhao">], "Falun Gong, Identity, and the Struggle over Meaning Inside and Outside China", pp. 209–223 in ''Contesting Media Power: Alternative Media in a Networked World'', edited by Nick Couldry and James Curran (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003)</ref>
<ref name="thepost">{{Cite news
| last = Toosi
| first = Nahal
| date = February 5, 2007
| title = Paper denies representing Falun Gong
| newspaper = ]
| agency = ]
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020500185_pf.html
| access-date = December 4, 2015
| archive-date = August 14, 2017
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|last1 = Groot
|first1 = Gerry
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|last2 = Stafford
|first2 = Glen
|publisher = Wakefield Press
|year = 2012
|isbn = 978-1743051573
|editor = John Spoehr
|page = 103
|chapter = China and South Australia
|quote = In related vein, another paper with wide distribution but published elsewhere is ''The Epoch Times'' (Dajiyuan shibao), the qigong meditation religious group Falun gong mouth-piece, which runs a strong anti-communist line.
|editor2 = Purnendra Jain
|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Lm2tdagEnL4C&pg=PA103
|access-date = December 1, 2015
|archive-date = January 3, 2024
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| last1 = Ellwood
| first1 = Robert S.
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| last2 = Csikszentmihalyi
| first2 = Mark A.
| publisher = Westminster John Knox Press
| year = 2007
| isbn = 978-1611640472
| editor = Jacob Neusner
| page = 217
| chapter = East Asian Religions
| quote = ... the ''Epoch Times'', an anticommunist newspaper connected with Falun Gong organization...
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}}</ref>
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| title = Places of Memory in Modern China: History, Politics, and Identity
| publisher = Brill
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| isbn = 978-9004219014
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| series = Leiden Series in Comparative Historiography
| volume = 5
| page = 268
| chapter = Yan'an as a Site of Memory
| quote = An article in the anti-Communist, Falun Gong ''Epoch Times'' claims, without citing any sources, that death was the result of an accident involving opium use.
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}}</ref>
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| last = Thornton
| first = Patricia M.
| title = Popular Protest in China
| publisher = Harvard University Press
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| isbn = 978-0674041585
| editor = Kevin J. O'Brien
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| volume = 15
| pages = 199–200
| chapter = Manufacturing Dissent in Transnational China
}}</ref>
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|last = Tong
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|publisher = ABC-CLIO
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|isbn = 978-1440833328
|editor = Jean-Guy A. Goulet
|volume = 3
|page = 71
|chapter = Western Apocalyptic Narratives in the International Arena
|editor2 = Liam D. Murphy
|editor3 = Anastasia Panagakos
|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kpHvCgAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA71
|access-date = December 3, 2015
|archive-date = January 3, 2024
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240103011559/https://books.google.com/books?id=kpHvCgAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA71
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}}</ref>
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|publisher = Brill
|year = 2014
|isbn = 978-9004272286
|page = 97
|access-date = November 14, 2020
|archive-date = January 3, 2024
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|url-status = live
}}</ref>
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| date = February 5, 2020
| work = The New York Times
| access-date = February 6, 2020
| language = en-US
| issn = 0362-4331
| archive-date = February 6, 2020
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}}</ref>
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| last1 = Zadrozny
| first1 = Brandy
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| last2 = Collins
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| title = Facebook bans ads from The Epoch Times after huge pro-Trump buy
| url = https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/23/facebook-bans-ads-from-the-epoch-times-after-huge-pro-trump-buy.html
| access-date = October 7, 2019
| agency = CNBC
| date = August 23, 2019
| archive-date = October 7, 2019
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}}</ref>
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| author = Eli Clifton
| date = May 26, 2020
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}}</ref>
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| url = https://newrepublic.com/article/155076/obscure-newspaper-fueling-far-right-europe
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| date = September 17, 2019
| magazine = The New Republic
| access-date = December 16, 2019
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| archive-date = November 6, 2021
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| title = 全球兴起退出中共运动
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<ref name="Markay">{{Cite web
| url = https://www.axios.com/epoch-times-revenue-trump-conspiracies-f96418d6-b361-4686-8cf1-bf13d33e7460.html
| work = Axios
| date = January 12, 2021
| author = Lachlan Markay
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<ref name="van Zuylen-Wood 2021">{{Cite news
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| title = MAGA-land's Favorite Newspaper
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| access-date = January 15, 2021
| archive-date = January 4, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220104233012/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/inside-the-epoch-times-a-mysterious-pro-trump-newspaper/617645/
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<ref name="Swenson 2020">{{Cite web
| last1 = Swenson
| first1 = Ali
| last2 = Joffe-Block
| first2 = Jude
| date = December 25, 2020
| title = Lengthy video makes false claims about 2020 election
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| access-date = January 14, 2021
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<ref name="Loucaides 2022">{{Cite web
| last1 = Loucaides
| first1 = Darren
| last2 = Perrone
| first2 = Alessio
| date = March 10, 2022
| title = The media giant you've never heard of, and why you should pay attention
| url = https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/epoch-times-media-giant-youve-never-heard-of-and-why-you-should-pay-attention/
| access-date = December 6, 2022
| website = ]
| language = en
| archive-date = December 6, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221206002133/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/epoch-times-media-giant-youve-never-heard-of-and-why-you-should-pay-attention/
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<ref name="Bellemare 2020">{{Cite news
| last1 = Bellemare
| first1 = Andrea
| last2 = Ho
| first2 = Jason
| last3 = Nicholson
| first3 = Katie
| date = April 29, 2020
| title = Some Canadians who received unsolicited copy of Epoch Times upset by claim that China was behind virus
| work = CBC News
| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/epoch-times-coronavirus-bioweapon-1.5548217
| access-date = June 13, 2020
| archive-date = April 30, 2020
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20200430183141/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/epoch-times-coronavirus-bioweapon-1.5548217
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}}</ref>
<ref name="Manavis 2020">{{cite web
| last = Manavis
| first = Sarah
| title = How US conspiracy theorists are targeting local government in the UK
| url = https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/internet/2020/04/councillors-politicians-uk-trump-conspiracy-theory-outlet-epoch-times-coronavirus
| website = New Statesman
| date = April 22, 2020
| access-date = May 7, 2020
| archive-date = April 29, 2020
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<ref name="LeFigaro">{{Cite web
| last = Cohen
| first = Claudia
| date = August 13, 2021
| title = The Epoch Times, ce mystérieux média sino-américain distribué aux anti-passe sanitaire
| trans-title = The Epoch Times, the mysterious Chinese-American media distributed at anti-Health pass
| url = https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/the-epoch-times-ce-mysterieux-media-sino-americain-distribue-aux-anti-passe-sanitaire-20210813
| access-date = May 22, 2022
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| language = fr
| archive-date = February 8, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220208102540/https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/the-epoch-times-ce-mysterieux-media-sino-americain-distribue-aux-anti-passe-sanitaire-20210813
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| access-date = February 23, 2020
| website = AFP Fact Check
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| title = Viral video promotes the unsupported hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is a bioengineered virus released from a Wuhan research laboratory
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| title = Opinion: The CBC, the CCP and COVID-19
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<ref name="Perrone 2022">{{Cite web
| last1 = Perrone
| first1 = Alessio
| last2 = Loucaides
| first2 = Darren
| date = March 10, 2022
| title = A key source for Covid-skeptic movements, the Epoch Times yearns for a global audience
| url = https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/epoch-times/
| access-date = March 13, 2022
| website = ]
| language = en-US
| quote = But its shift to the far-right actually started in Europe when in 2015 refugees from the Middle East migrated to EU countries. It was then that the German edition of Epoch Times started to enjoy a steep rise in web traffic, coinciding with its coverage of the anti-migrant group Pegida and frequent interviews with politicians from the emerging right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
| archive-date = March 13, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220313044144/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/epoch-times/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Secrecy">{{Cite news
| last = Greenaway
| first = Norma
| date = August 3, 2010
| title = Liberals decry secrecy around CSIS report
| work = Vancouver Sun
| url = https://vancouversun.com/news/Liberals+decry+secrecy+around+CSIS+report/3355144/story.html
| access-date = May 25, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100805081220/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Liberals+decry+secrecy+around+CSIS+report/3355144/story.html
| archive-date = August 5, 2010
}}</ref>
<ref name="BI-facebook">{{Cite news
| last = Gilbert
| first = Ben
| date = August 21, 2019
| title = Aside from the Trump campaign itself, the biggest spender on pro-Trump Facebook ads is reportedly a secretive New York-based newspaper
| newspaper = Business Insider
| publisher = Insider Inc.
| url = https://www.businessinsider.com/epoch-times-pro-trump-facebook-ads-2019-8
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190821030349/https://www.businessinsider.com/epoch-times-pro-trump-facebook-ads-2019-8
| archive-date = August 21, 2019
}}</ref>
<ref name="FWIW: Where are they now">{{Cite web
| last = Legum
| first = Judd
| date = May 3, 2019
| title = FWIW: Where are they now?
| url = https://www.anotheracronym.org/newsletter/where-are-they-now/
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191019034447/https://www.anotheracronym.org/newsletter/where-are-they-now/
| archive-date = October 19, 2019
| access-date = June 10, 2019
| website = ACRONYM
| language = en-US
}}</ref>
<ref name="Snopes 2019a">{{Cite web
| title = Expanding Pro-Trump Outlet 'The BL' Is Closely Linked to The Epoch Times
| url = https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/10/11/pro-trump-outlet-linked-epoch-times/
| access-date = October 12, 2019
| website = Snopes.com
| date = October 11, 2019
| language = en-US
| archive-date = March 28, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210328163410/https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/10/11/pro-trump-outlet-linked-epoch-times/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Snopes 2019b">{{Cite web
| title = If Facebook Is Dealing with Deceptive 'BL' Network, It's Not Working
| url = https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/12/13/facebook-bl-cib/
| access-date = December 15, 2019
| website = Snopes.com
| date = December 13, 2019
| language = en-US
| archive-date = December 6, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211206151955/https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/12/13/facebook-bl-cib/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="NBC News 2019">{{Cite web
| title = Facebook says a pro-Trump media outlet used artificial intelligence to create fake people and push conspiracies
| url = https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-says-pro-trump-media-outlet-used-artificial-intelligence-create-n1105951
| access-date = December 23, 2019
| website = NBC News
| date = December 20, 2019
| language = en
| archive-date = December 23, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191223085600/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-says-pro-trump-media-outlet-used-artificial-intelligence-create-n1105951
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Graphika 2020">{{Cite web
| date = August 2020
| title = Facebook Takes Down Inauthentic Network Associated With Truth Media
| url = https://public-assets.graphika.com/reports/graphika_report_truth_media_fake_profiles.pdf
| website = ]
| access-date = August 16, 2020
| archive-date = August 9, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200809115322/https://public-assets.graphika.com/reports/graphika_report_truth_media_fake_profiles.pdf
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="NBC News 2020">{{Cite web
| title = Facebook removes troll farm posing as African-American support for Donald Trump
| url = https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-removes-troll-farm-posing-african-american-support-donald-trump-n1236056
| access-date = August 7, 2020
| website = NBC News
| date = August 6, 2020
| language = en
| archive-date = August 6, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200806191216/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-removes-troll-farm-posing-african-american-support-donald-trump-n1236056
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="To 2014">{{Cite book
| title = Qiaowu: Extra-Territorial Policies for the Overseas Chinese
| last = To
| first = James Jiann Hua
| publisher = Brill
| year = 2014
| isbn = 978-9004272286
| pages = 179–180
}}</ref>
<ref name="IFJ 2006">{{cite news
| date = March 1, 2006
| title = IFJ Condemns China's "Brutal Vendetta" Against Independent Newspaper
| url = https://www.ifj.org/es/centro-de-medios/noticias/detalle/article/ifj-condemns-chinas-brutal-vendetta-against-independent-newspaper.html
| access-date = June 23, 2020
| archive-date = June 23, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200623054931/https://www.ifj.org/es/centro-de-medios/noticias/detalle/article/ifj-condemns-chinas-brutal-vendetta-against-independent-newspaper.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Sun2009">{{Cite book
| last = Sun
| first = Wanning
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HAsB54UlQE8C&pg=PR11
| title = Media and the Chinese Diaspora: Community, Communications and Commerce
| publisher = Routledge
| year = 2009
| isbn = 978-1134263592
| page = xi
| quote = ...the ''Epoch Times'' – a globally circulated pro-Falun Gong, anti-Communist Chinese-language newspaper...
| access-date = November 14, 2020
| archive-date = January 3, 2024
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240103011541/https://books.google.com/books?id=HAsB54UlQE8C&pg=PR11#v=onepage&q&f=false
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Nakamura 2018">{{Cite news
| last1 = Nakamura
| first1 = David
| last2 = Shih
| first2 = Gerry
| date = September 18, 2018
| title = White House reviews incident involving ''The Epoch Times'' photographer handing a folder to Trump
| newspaper = ]
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-reviews-incident-involving-epoch-times-photographer-handing-a-folder-to-trump/2018/09/18/e9d8b8ba-bac5-11e8-bdc0-90f81cc58c5d_story.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180919014513/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-reviews-incident-involving-epoch-times-photographer-handing-a-folder-to-trump/2018/09/18/e9d8b8ba-bac5-11e8-bdc0-90f81cc58c5d_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop
| archive-date = September 19, 2018
| url-status = live
| quote = The photographer, identified by other photojournalists as Samira Bouaou, passed the purple-colored folder to Trump as he was walking out of the East Room on Sept. 12 after delivering remarks at a reception for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
}}</ref>
<ref name="Farhi 2020">{{Cite news
| last = Farhi
| first = Paul
| date = August 14, 2020
| title = Two sites that amplify hoaxes given special treatment at Trump's briefings despite restrictions
| language = en
| newspaper = ]
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/two-sites-that-amplify-hoaxes-given-special-treatment-at-trumps-briefings-despite-restrictions/2020/08/14/8579032e-de6e-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html
| access-date = August 15, 2020
| archive-date = August 15, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200815120150/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/two-sites-that-amplify-hoaxes-given-special-treatment-at-trumps-briefings-despite-restrictions/2020/08/14/8579032e-de6e-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Mackey 2020">{{Cite web
| last = Mackey
| first = Robert
| date = August 15, 2020
| title = White House Plants Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorists Among Reporters in Briefing Room
| url = https://theintercept.com/2020/08/15/white-house-plants-pro-trump-conspiracy-theorists-among-reporters-briefing-room/
| access-date = July 31, 2022
| website = ]
| language = en
| archive-date = July 31, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220731000610/https://theintercept.com/2020/08/15/white-house-plants-pro-trump-conspiracy-theorists-among-reporters-briefing-room/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="NewsGuard 2020">{{Cite web
| date = 2020
| title = The Epoch Times
| url = https://www.newsguardtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/theepoctimes-ENG-3-13.pdf
| website = NewsGuard
| access-date = June 17, 2020
| archive-date = January 15, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210115203839/https://www.newsguardtech.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/03/theepoctimes-ENG-3-13.pdf
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Hoover2018">{{cite web
| date = November 29, 2018
| title = Chinese Influence & American Interests: Promoting Constructive Vigilance
| url = https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/chineseinfluence_americaninterests_fullreport_web.pdf
| publisher = Hoover Institution
| access-date = June 15, 2020
| archive-date = August 24, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200824061151/https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/chineseinfluence_americaninterests_fullreport_web.pdf
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name="Zadrozny 2020">{{Cite web
| last1 = Zadrozny
| first1 = Brandy
| author-link1 = Brandy Zadrozny
| last2 = Abbruzzese
| first2 = Jason
| date = February 5, 2020
| title = 'Wake-up call': Iowa caucus disinformation serves as warning about 2020 election
| url = https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/wake-call-iowa-caucus-disinformation-serves-warning-about-2020-election-n1130111
| access-date = February 29, 2020
| website = NBC News
| language = en
| archive-date = February 27, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200227150357/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/wake-call-iowa-caucus-disinformation-serves-warning-about-2020-election-n1130111
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="sfgate23">{{Cite news
| url = https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/CULTURE-AND-RELIGION-Dissident-media-linked-to-2587555.php
| title = Dissident media linked to Falun Gong / Chinese-language print, broadcast outlets in U.S. are making waves
| last = Hua
| first = Vanessa
| date = December 18, 2005
| work = San Francisco Chronicle
| access-date = December 9, 2006
| archive-date = October 22, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121022183852/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/CULTURE-AND-RELIGION-Dissident-media-linked-to-2587555.php
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="morais">Morais, Betsy. "''The Epoch Times'' doesn't like to brag", Capital Magazine, June 23, 2010</ref>
<ref name="Bloom 2021">{{cite book
| last1 = Bloom
| first1 = Mia
| last2 = Moskalenko
| first2 = Sophia
| author1-link = Mia Bloom
| title = Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon
| date = September 8, 2021
| publisher = ]
| isbn = 978-1-5036-3061-1
| chapter-url = https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781503630611-003/html
| chapter-url-access = subscription
| doi = 10.1515/9781503630611-003
| access-date = September 5, 2022
| language = en
| via = ]
| chapter = January 6, 2021: Capitol Hill, the Failed Insurrection
| quote = The 26-minute video featured a discredited scientist, Dr. Judy Mikovits, describing a secret plot by global elites like Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci to use the pandemic to profit and seize political power. Mikovits soon became a regular guest on far-right media channels, and she became the darling of far-right publications like ''The Epoch Times'' and ''Gateway Pundit''.
| archive-date = September 28, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220928074408/https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781503630611-003/html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Weisskircher 2020">{{cite journal
| last1 = Weisskircher
| first1 = Manès
| title = Neue Wahrheiten von rechts außen? Alternative Nachrichten und der "Rechtspopulismus" in Deutschland
| journal = ]
| date = September 11, 2020
| volume = 33
| issue = 2
| pages = 474–490
| doi = 10.1515/fjsb-2020-0040
| trans-title = New truths from the far-right? Alternative news and "right-wing populism" in Germany
| publisher = ]
| s2cid = 222004415
| quote = In Deutschland existiert eine Vielzahl an alternativen Nachrichten-Plattformen von Rechtsaußen. Der Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 nennt Junge Freiheit, Compact online, PI News und Epoch Times als Plattformen mit der häufigsten Nutzung (Newman 2019: 86).
| trans-quote = In Germany there is a large number of alternative news platforms from the far-right. The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2019 names Junge Freiheit, Compact online, PI News and Epoch Times as the platforms with the most frequent use (Newman 2019: 86).
| language = de
}}</ref>
<ref name="Braune 2023">{{cite book
| last1=Braune
| first1=Joan
| title=Understanding and Countering Fascist Movements: From Void to Hope
| date=22 December 2023
| publisher=]
| isbn=978-1-003-83113-6
| page=75
| url=https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-and-Countering-Fascist-Movements-From-Void-to-Hope/Braune/p/book/9780367696986
| url-access=subscription
| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBnlEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT88
| chapter-url-access=limited
| doi=10.4324/9781003031604-4
| access-date=19 September 2024
| language=en
| chapter=Steve Bannon's Kali-Yuga
| via=]
| quote=Bannon also collaborated with the far-right ''Epoch Times'' newspaper, which is closely connected to the intensely anticommunist and pro-Trump Chinese Falun Gong cult, and produced a docudrama for a Falun Gong television platform.
}}</ref>
<ref name="Hobbs 2020">{{cite book
| last1 = Hobbs
| first1 = Renee
| author-link = Renee Hobbs
| title = Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education for a Digital Age
| year = 2020
| publisher = ]
| isbn = 978-0-393-71351-0
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gC3xDwAAQBAJ
| access-date = November 6, 2020
| via = ]
| archive-date = April 21, 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230421074728/https://books.google.com/books?id=gC3xDwAAQBAJ
| url-status = live
| page = 113
| quote = Perhaps you have seen those annoying YouTube ads for ''The Epoch Times''. It’s a U.S. based international newspaper that’s owned by the Falun Gong religious movement, who also own the performing arts company, Shen Yun. ''The Epoch Times'' has discovered the profitability of promoting far-right politicians in Europe and the United States and they also advance anti-vaccination conspiracy theories on their YouTube channel.
}}</ref>
<ref name="Hune-Brown 2017">{{Cite web
| last = Hune-Brown
| first = Nicholas
| date = December 12, 2017
| title = The traditional Chinese dance troupe China doesn't want you to see
| url = http://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/12/shen-yun-falun-gong-traditional-chinese-dance-troupe-china-doesnt-want-you-to-see
| url-status = live
| access-date = January 8, 2022
| website = ]
| language = en
| archive-date = December 2, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211202150350/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/12/shen-yun-falun-gong-traditional-chinese-dance-troupe-china-doesnt-want-you-to-see
}}</ref>
<ref name="Alba 2021">{{Cite news
| last = Alba
| first = Davey
| date = December 1, 2021
| title = Those Cute Cats Online? They Help Spread Misinformation.
| language = en-US
| work = The New York Times
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/technology/misinformation-cute-cats-online.html
| access-date = March 19, 2022
| issn = 0362-4331
| quote = Next to the video was a link to subscribe to The Epoch Times, a newspaper that is tied to Falun Gong
| archive-date = March 19, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220319005331/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/technology/misinformation-cute-cats-online.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Wilson 2021">{{cite news
| last = Wilson
| first = Jason
| date = April 30, 2021
| title = Falun Gong-aligned media push fake news about Democrats and Chinese communists
| url = http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/30/falun-gong-media-epoch-times-democrats-chinese-communists
| url-status = live
| access-date = November 16, 2021
| work = The Guardian
| archive-date = November 18, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211118090457/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/30/falun-gong-media-epoch-times-democrats-chinese-communists
}}</ref>
<ref name="Gafni 2020">{{Cite news
| last = Gafni
| first = Matthias
| date = January 11, 2020
| title = Behind the blitz: Falun Gong practitioners spend millions on Shen Yun ads. How do they do it?
| url = https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Behind-the-blitz-Falun-Gong-practitioners-spend-14966684.php
| access-date = February 10, 2021
| website = San Francisco Chronicle
| language = en-US
| archive-date = February 11, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210211104843/https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Behind-the-blitz-Falun-Gong-practitioners-spend-14966684.php
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Alba 2019">{{Cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/technology/facebook-ads-epoch-times.html
| title = Facebook Bans Ads From The Epoch Times
| last = Alba
| first = Davey
| date = August 23, 2019
| work = The New York Times
| access-date = December 16, 2019
| language = en-US
| issn = 0362-4331
| archive-date = March 17, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210317102616/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/technology/facebook-ads-epoch-times.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>

<ref name="HcTvr">{{Cite book
|last1 = Couldry
|first1 = Nick
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yRVtAAAAQBAJ
|title = Contesting Media Power: Alternative Media in a Networked World
|last2 = Curran
|first2 = James
|publisher = Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
|year = 2003
|isbn = 978-0742575202
|access-date = November 14, 2020
|archive-date = January 3, 2024
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240103011454/https://books.google.com/books?id=yRVtAAAAQBAJ
|url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Gregory 2019">{{Cite web
| last = Gregory
| first = Stephen
| date = June 20, 2019
| title = Our Response to NBC News' Inappropriate Questions
| url = https://www.theepochtimes.com/our-response-to-nbc-news-inappropriate-questions_2971493.html
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210808160241/https://www.theepochtimes.com/our-response-to-nbc-news-inappropriate-questions_2971493.html
| archive-date = August 8, 2021
| access-date = January 22, 2022
| website = The Epoch Times
| language = en-US
}}</ref>
<ref name="Falun Dafa">{{Cite web
| date = September 5, 2010
| title = Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference
| url = https://www.falundafa.org/book/eng/lectures/20100905L.html
| access-date = August 15, 2020
| website = www.falundafa.org
| archive-date = August 7, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200807144813/https://www.falundafa.org/book/eng/lectures/20100905L.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="VPXdA">{{Cite web
| last = Nguyen
| first = Terry
| date = November 27, 2020
| title = Why fake news is so hard to combat in Asian American communities
| url = https://www.vox.com/identities/21579752/asian-american-misinformation-after-2020
| access-date = December 5, 2020
| website = Vox
| language = en
| archive-date = June 16, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210616013713/https://www.vox.com/identities/21579752/asian-american-misinformation-after-2020
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Markay 2021">{{Cite web
| last = Markay
| first = Lachlan
| date = January 12, 2021
| title = Epoch Times nearly quadrupled revenue during the first three years of the Trump administration
| url = https://www.axios.com/epoch-times-revenue-trump-conspiracies-f96418d6-b361-4686-8cf1-bf13d33e7460.html
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210129033626/https://www.axios.com/epoch-times-revenue-trump-conspiracies-f96418d6-b361-4686-8cf1-bf13d33e7460.html
| archive-date = January 29, 2021
| access-date = January 14, 2021
| website = Axios
| language = en
}}</ref>
<ref name="whBSI">{{Cite web
| title = DocumentCloud
| url = https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20447899-epoch-times-association-2019-990
| access-date = January 14, 2021
| website = beta.documentcloud.org
| archive-date = January 14, 2021
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210114205037/https://beta.documentcloud.org/documents/20447899-epoch-times-association-2019-990
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Clifton 2020">{{Cite news
| url = https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-hedge-fund-man-behind-pro-trump-medias-new-war-on-china
| title = The Hedge Fund Man Behind Pro-Trump Media's New War on China
| author = Eli Clifton
| date = May 5, 2020
| newspaper = The Daily Beast
| access-date = May 6, 2020
| archive-date = May 9, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200509114307/https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-hedge-fund-man-behind-pro-trump-medias-new-war-on-china
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Dwoskin 2021">{{Cite news
| last = Dwoskin
| first = Elizabeth
| date = August 21, 2021
| title = Facebook says post that cast doubt on covid-19 vaccine was most popular on the platform from January through March
| language = en-US
| newspaper = ]
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/08/21/facebook-coronavirus-vaccine/
| access-date = May 5, 2023
| issn = 0190-8286
| archive-date = December 17, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221217210804/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/08/21/facebook-coronavirus-vaccine/
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Rougerie 2021">{{cite news
| date = April 25, 2021
| first = Pamela
| last = Rougerie
| title = Epoch Times, NTD... Des sites complotistes pilotés par une "secte" chinoise ultraconservatrice
| trans-title = Epoch Times, NTD... Conspiratorial Sites Driven by an Ultraconservative Chinese "Sect"
| language = fr
| url = https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/medias-derriere-epoch-times-et-ntd-linquietante-secte-chinoise-qui-lorgne-sur-lextreme-droite-conspirationniste-25-04-2021-7CIHY26YPFB2BCPSCOCH54VXNA.php
| newspaper = ]
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| url-status = live
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| access-date = April 22, 2022
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| website = The Daily Dot
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| language = en
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| title = Iowa Misinformation Spreads Online, Despite New Policies
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| last = Ondrak
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| access-date = January 3, 2019
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<ref name="SuuJ0">{{Cite web
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}}</ref>
<ref name="Snopes 2020">{{Cite web
| title = Facebook Removes Another Misinformation Network Linked to Epoch Times
| url = https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/08/06/facebook-epoch-times/
| access-date = August 7, 2020
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| date = August 6, 2020
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<ref name="AFR 2016">{{Cite web
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| url-status = live
}}</ref>
<ref name="Reporters Without Borders 2019">{{Cite web
| date = November 22, 2019
| title = Following the Epoch Times arson attack, RSF urges the Hong Kong government to address violence against the press
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| url = https://rsf.org/en/news/following-epoch-times-arson-attack-rsf-urges-hong-kong-government-address-violence-against-press
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<ref name="Ransacked 2021">{{Cite web
| url = https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210413-epoch-times-defiant-after-hong-kong-printing-press-ransacked
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<ref name="Masked ransack">{{Cite web
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}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}

{{Falun Gong}}
{{Subject bar
|portal1=Journalism
|portal2=United States
|portal3=China
|auto=y
|d=y
}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Epoch Times, The}}
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Latest revision as of 07:07, 21 December 2024

Far-right media company affiliated with the Falun Gong movement Not to be confused with Unix time, which is sometimes called Epoch time.

The Epoch Times
Front page of The Epoch Times New York edition for March 18, 2016
TypeInternational newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Epoch Media Group
Founder(s)John Tang
PublisherEpoch Media Group
FoundedMay 20, 2000; 24 years ago (2000-05-20)
Political alignmentFar-right
LanguageMultiple, mainly Chinese and English
Headquarters229 W. 28th St., New York, NY 10001, United States of America
Websitetheepochtimes.com
The Epoch Times
Traditional Chinese大紀元時報
Simplified Chinese大纪元时报
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàjìyuán Shíbào
This article is part of a series on
Conservatism
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The Epoch Times is a far-right international multi-language newspaper and media company affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement. The newspaper, based in New York City, is part of the Epoch Media Group, which also operates New Tang Dynasty (NTD) Television. The Epoch Times has websites in 35 countries but is blocked in mainland China.

The Epoch Times opposes the Chinese Communist Party, hosts far-right politicians in Europe, and has supported former President Donald Trump in the U.S. A 2019 report by NBC News showed it to be the second-largest funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising after the Trump campaign itself. The Epoch Times frequently runs stories promoting other Falun Gong–affiliated groups, such as the performing arts company Shen Yun. The Epoch Media Group's news sites and YouTube channels have promoted conspiracy theories such as QAnon, the Great Replacement, anti-vaccine misinformation and false claims of fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election. In June 2024, allegations of money laundering were leveled at Bill Guan, the group's chief financial officer.

History and relation to Falun Gong

The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 by John Tang and other Chinese Americans affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement. Tang was a graduate student in Georgia at the time; he began the newspaper in his basement. The founders said they were responding to censorship inside China and a lack of international understanding about the Chinese government's repression of Falun Gong.

By 2003, The Epoch Times website and group of newspapers had grown into one of the largest Chinese-language news sites and newspaper groups outside China, with local editions in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and major Western European countries. The first English edition launched online in September 2003, followed by the first print edition in 2004. The English Australian edition was launched in Sydney in 2005.

Nick Couldry and James Curran wrote in 2003 that the paper represents a "major step in the evolution of Falun Gong-related alternative media" and may be part of a de facto media alliance with democracy activists in exile. In 2003, sociologist Yuezhi Zhao wrote that the paper "displays an indisputable ideological and organizational affinity with Falun Gong" and that it strongly emphasizes negative portrayals of the Chinese government and positive portrayals of Falun Gong. Per Zhao, Epoch portrays itself as neutral, independent, and public-interest oriented.

In 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that "three new U.S.-based, Chinese-language media outlets that provide provocative reporting about the Communist Party, government oppression and social unrest in China (namely The Epoch Times, Sound of Hope, and NTDTV) have ties to the Falun Gong spiritual movement". When interviewed, executives at each outlet claimed they did not represent the Falun Gong movement as a whole.

Associated Press reporter Nahal Toosi wrote in 2006 that it is "technically inaccurate" to say that Falun Gong owns The Epoch Times, though many of the paper's staff are Falun Gong practitioners. Toosi noted: "some observers" have said that Falun Gong uses the newspaper for its public relations campaigns and that the paper is connected with the group and carries sympathetic coverage of it.

The English Epoch Times chair Stephen Gregory has denied that The Epoch Times is directly connected to Falun Gong. Independent reporters in the U.S. have confirmed the connection.

In 2008, David Ownby, director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the Université de Montréal and the author of Falun Gong and the Future of China, said Falun Gong practitioners set up the newspaper with their own money. He described The Epoch Times as wishing to be taken seriously as a global newspaper rather than being judged on the basis of its strong association with Falun Gong. He wrote: "Epoch Times is a newspaper with a mission, that of reporting on issues bearing on human rights throughout the world, which allows for considerable focus on China and Falun Gong."

Canadian scholar Clement Tong wrote that The Epoch Times "operates as a mouthpiece" for Falun Gong without an official statement of affiliation with the movement.

In 2009, Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, appeared at the newspaper's headquarters in Manhattan and called for the expansion of The Epoch Times to "become regular media". Li has called The Epoch Times "our media", along with the NTD digital production company and the Shen Yun dance troupe. Two former employees said that top editors traveled to meet with Li at Falun Gong's compound, Dragon Springs, where he weighed in on editorial and strategic decisions; The Epoch Times denied that a meeting took place.

Former Epoch Times employees have noted Falun Gong practitioners' involvement in the management and editorial process. Three anonymous former employees said Epoch Times workers were encouraged to attend weekly "Fa study" sessions outside work hours to study Li's teachings. Former employees have said that criticizing The Epoch Times amounts to disobeying Li.

The Epoch Times runs frequent promotional stories about the related Shen Yun dance troupe. The New Yorker's review of Shen Yun called The Epoch Times "the world's foremost purveyor of Shen Yun content".

In a 2018 report, the conservative think tank Hoover Institution wrote, "the space for truly independent Chinese-language media in the United States has shrunk to a few media outlets supported by the adherents of Falun Gong, the banned religious sect in China, and a small publication and website called Vision Times", the report noting that the latter is also associated with Falun Gong.

In a 2019 report, Reporters Without Borders wrote, "Aside from the Epoch Times newspaper and New Tang Dynasty Television, which are run by the Falun Gong, a religious movement persecuted in China, and China Digital Times, a website founded by a leading US-based critic of the regime, the United States now has few truly independent diaspora media."

In 2019, an NBC News investigative report suggested The Epoch Times's political coverage may be affected by Falun Gong believers' anticipation of a judgment day in which communists are sent to hell and Falun Gong's allies are spared. Former Epoch Times employees told NBC News that Donald Trump is viewed as a key anti-communist ally, allegedly hastening that judgment day.

In 2020, Vox identified China Uncensored and NTD as affiliates of The Epoch Times, as part of a multilingual "media empire".

The Epoch Times sold a building in Middletown, New York, to Falun Gong-aligned website company Gan Jing World in 2022, with the building then opening as Gan Jing World's headquarters in July 2022. The Falun Dafa Gan Jing World Foundation was incorporated in 2023 at the same building in Middletown. Gan Jing World's director of media relations, Nick Janicki, has denied that there is any corporate connection between Gan Jing World and the Epoch Times, but said the founders are "good friends". The Epoch Times publishes articles promoting Gan Jing World, presenting them as news. In turn, media owned by Epoch Media Group are promoted on the Gan Jing World website, including on the front page. Gan Jing World's content consists of videos that are often republished from YouTube without the original creator's consent. In 2024, YouTube issued a cease and desist order to Gan Jing World for unauthorized republishing of content obtained from YouTube.

In 2024, The Epoch Times entered the film industry with Epoch Studios (a branch of the Epoch Times Association) and its first release, The Firing Squad. The executive director of Epoch Studios, Sally Sun, has previously supervised Epoch documentaries and streaming specials.

Finances

According to NBC News, "little is publicly known about the precise ownership, origins or influences of The Epoch Times", and it is loosely organized into several regional tax-free nonprofits, under the umbrella of the Epoch Media Group, together with New Tang Dynasty Television. The Epoch Times limits its expenses by primarily hiring unsalaried part-time volunteers.

The newspaper's revenue has increased rapidly in recent years, from $3.8 million in 2016 to $8.1 million in 2017 (with spending of $7.2 million), $12.4 million in 2018 and $15.5 million in 2019. Tax documents indicate that between 2012 and 2016, the group received $900,000 from a principal at Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund led at the time by the conservative political donor Robert Mercer. Chris Kitze, a former NBC executive and creator of the fake news website Before It's News who also manages a cryptocurrency hedge fund, joined the paper's board as vice president in 2017.

A 2020 New York Times report called The Epoch Times's recent wealth "something of a mystery". Steve Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News who produced a documentary with NTD, said "I'd give them a number" on a project budget and "they'd come back and say, 'We're good for that number.'" Former employees say they were told The Epoch Times is financed by subscriptions, ads and donations from wealthy Falun Gong practitioners.

Between 2019 and 2021, The Epoch Times increased its revenue by 685%, reaching $122 million in 2021. Since 2019, it has gone mostly digital, spending millions on Facebook and YouTube advertisements (Facebook later banned the website, saying it "leveraged foreign actors posing as Americans to push political content"). As of 2023, The Epoch Times claims to be the US newspaper with the fourth-highest number of subscribers; this ranking cannot be verified as their circulation data is not audited by independent organizations.

Money laundering allegations

On June 3, 2024, the chief financial officer of The Epoch Times, Weidong "Bill" Guan, was indicted on federal charges in the Southern District of New York and charged with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering and two counts of bank fraud in a transnational scheme that lasted from 2020 to May 2024. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that under Guan's leadership, The Epoch Times's Make Money Online team had purchased crime proceeds using cryptocurrency and transferred them into bank accounts held by entities affiliated with The Epoch Times. According to the DOJ, tens of millions in money laundered funds were transferred to The Epoch Times's bank accounts, inflating its revenue by 410%.

The Epoch Times said in a statement that Guan was "innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt", adding that it had "suspended him until this matter is resolved". Founder John Tang later resigned from his role as CEO and the company's management was handed over to a transitional team. In response to the incident, the paper published statements written by Li Hongzhi, which criticized the paper's alleged financial misconduct and partisanship, calling on Falun Gong practitioners to cease making personal attacks on American political figures.

Distribution and marketing

ÉpoqueTimes office in Montreal's Chinatown in 2015

The Epoch Times publishes in 21 languages and 33 countries, and has print editions in eight languages: Chinese, English, Spanish, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian. Special print editions have also been erratically published in France.

Between 2013 and 2020, The Epoch Times created 117,274 Facebook posts, rapidly increasing its social media audience by publishing its own far-right political content interspersed with clickbait entertainment videos obtained from media licensing companies such as Jukin Media. According to a Facebook report released in August 2021, a subscription page for The Epoch Times received 44.2 million views between April and June 2021. Facebook data showed that one of the most popular pages in the first quarter of 2021 was a page run by The Epoch Times. With 9.1 million Facebook followers in November 2021, The Epoch Times exceeded the follower counts of far-right news organizations Breitbart News and Newsmax at the time.

Videos and ads from the Epoch Media Group, including The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty (NTD), totaled 3 billion views on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in April 2019, according to the analytics company Tubular. This ranked it 11th among all video creators, and ahead of any other traditional news publisher, according to NBC News.

As of 2021, The Epoch Times was the 7th most followed account on Gab, a social networking service known for its far-right userbase.

In 2024, billboards appeared in multiple US cities marketing The Epoch Times's website with the slogan "#1 Trusted News" alongside a portrait of its reporter Joshua Philipp. Local news outlets questioned the veracity of the slogan in light of The Epoch Times's history of publishing misinformation and the DOJ's indictment of its chief financial officer.

Editorial stance

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The Epoch Times is an ardent opponent of the Chinese Communist Party. Since a shift in the newspaper's approach in 2016, the newspaper received significant attention for its favorable coverage of the Trump administration, the American far-right, the German far-right, and the French far-right.

According to NBC News, The Epoch Times "generally stayed out of U.S. politics" before 2016 "unless they dovetailed with Chinese interests". Ben Hurley, a former Falun Gong practitioner and Epoch Times writer until 2013, said the paper was critical of abortion and LGBT people and that Falun Gong practitioners "saw communism everywhere", including in internationalist figures like Hillary Clinton and Kofi Annan, "but there was more room for disagreements in the early days".

Since 2016, according to NBC News, The Epoch Times has promoted favorable coverage of Trump's campaign and presidency, and emphasized topics like Islamic terrorism and illegal immigration to the United States. It has also emphasized "what the publication claims is a labyrinthian, global conspiracy led by Clinton and former President Barack Obama to tear down Trump".

A former Epoch Times reporter who covered the 2016 campaign, Steve Klett, said his editors had encouraged favorable coverage of Trump after he won the Republican nomination, and that "they seemed to have this almost messianic way of viewing Trump as the anti-Communist leader who would bring about the end of the Chinese Communist Party". After Trump was elected, The Epoch Times hired Brendan Steinhauser, a Tea Party strategist, to reach out to more conservatives and encourage the Trump administration to oppose the persecution of Falun Gong.

The Epoch Times picks up mainstream newswire stories and in some places can resemble a community newspaper. According to sociologist Yuezhi Zhao, "While mainstream newspapers typically treat Web versions as an extension of the already-existing print version, The Epoch Times website serves as the master for all its worldwide papers."

The Epoch Times is known for alleging conspiracies involving former Communist Party general secretary Jiang Zemin, under whose administration Falun Gong was suppressed in China.

The newspaper is at odds with the Taiwanese-owned and U.S.-based Chinese language newspaper World Journal, calling it a "megaphone for the evil Chinese Communist Party".

In September 2017, the German edition, The Epoch Times Deutschland, which became online-only in 2012, was described by online magazine The China File as aligned with the German far-right, and attractive to supporters of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the anti-immigrant group Pegida. Stefanie Albrecht, a reporter for the German broadcaster RTL who spent several days inside The Epoch Times's Berlin office while investigating the far right, said that the staffers she met were all Falun Gong practitioners who had no journalistic training and did not check facts, trusting instead in the alternative sources they consulted. During her time at The Epoch Times's office, Albrecht was exposed to debunked conspiracy theories such as Pizzagate, the chemtrail conspiracy theory, weather-changing machines and the Great Replacement.

In France, The Epoch Times gives "an unfettered platform to Jean-Marie Le Pen, the patriarch of the French far right, and his daughter, Marine, who leads the nationalist party her father founded", according to The New Republic.

The Epoch Times publishes climate change denial content. It promotes doubt about modern science and medicine, in line with Falun Gong's teachings. Elise Thomas of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue noted, "Falun Gong has a history of rejecting modern medicine, which obviously intersects neatly with the beliefs of many anti-vax communities." Ben Hurley said, "They've been anti-medicine for a long time. Ex-believers know many people that have died from treatable conditions. It's their belief that they don't need medicine, because they're superhuman beings."

Notable coverage

"Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" editorials

In November 2004, the Chinese version of The Epoch Times published a series of editorials titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party". The editorials argued that China would not be free or prosperous until it was rid of the party, which it said was at odds with China's cultural and spiritual values. The Epoch Times also organized a campaign called the Tuidang movement, urging people to quit the Chinese Communist Party, and said that more than 2 million people had resigned. A report by the OpenNet Initiative said that 90% of websites mentioning the phrase "Nine Commentaries" were blocked in mainland China as of 2005.

Caylan Ford, a former staff writer for The Epoch Times, wrote in a 2009 guest opinion article in The Christian Science Monitor that millions of copies of the "Nine Commentaries" articles were circulated in China by email, fax, and underground printing houses. Ford wrote that the campaign differed from the 1989 and 2008 democracy movements in China by drawing on Buddhist and Daoist spirituality.

In 2012, a former People's Liberation Army Air Force officer testified to the United States Congressional-Executive Commission on China that he had been sentenced to four years of prison for distributing a "Nine Commentaries" DVD in Beijing.

The Tuidang movement was called one of the top global events in 2011 by Russian economist Andrey Illarionov, who cited claims by The Epoch Times that over 100 million people had quit.

Li Yi, a Hong Kong-based democratic activist, questioned The Epoch Times's claims about the number of resignations in an Apple Daily opinion piece in 2006, warned that the Tuidang movement could be using "lies to fight lies", and wrote that the propagandistic nature of the movement could hurt the integrity of the pro-democracy community.

According to China scholar David Ownby, the Nine Commentaries are a "condemnation of communism and a direct indictment of the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party's rule in China". While acknowledging the "unnecessary violence" the Chinese Communist Party has inflicted, Ownby finds that the lack of balance and nuance in tone and style makes the editorials resemble "anti-Communist propaganda written in Taiwan in the 1950s". Journalist Oscar Schwartz called the Nine Commentaries a "quasi-McCarthyist screed".

Pro-Trump conspiracy theories and disinformation

Woman at Million MAGA March on November 14, 2020, in Washington, D.C., distributing copies of The Epoch Times featuring a headline that quotes Donald Trump's disputed claim about the results of the 2020 United States presidential election.

The Epoch Times has promoted an array of pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theories and is known as one of Trump's closest media allies and defenders.

The paper has financially benefited from its promotion of Trump conspiracies, increasing its revenue nearly fourfold during the first three years of Trump's administration (from $3.9 million in 2016 to $15.5 million in 2019) as it catered to Trump's most ardent supporters, to whom the paper marketed itself via targeted social media advertising.

The publication championed Trump's Spygate conspiracy theory in its news coverage and advertising, and the Epoch Media Group's Edge of Wonder videos on YouTube spread the far-right, pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory and embraced false QAnon claims.

An NBC News report found that two of Edge of Wonder's hosts have been a creative director and chief photo editor at The Epoch Times. The newspaper promoted Edge of Wonder videos in dozens of Facebook posts through 2019.

In September 2019, during the Trump–Ukraine scandal, Hunter Biden's Misplaced Pages article included dubious claims about his business dealings in Ukraine and his father Joe Biden's motivations for going after a Ukrainian prosecutor; the claims were sourced to The Epoch Times and The New American. The Epoch Times promoted the conspiracy theory that Joe Biden had abused his power in 2016 to protect Hunter's business interests in Ukraine.

During the February 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses, The Epoch Times shared viral disinformation from the conservative group Judicial Watch that falsely alleged inflated voter rolls. The disinformation, which went viral on Facebook, was debunked by fact checkers and the Iowa secretary of state. A Harvard media expert said that The Epoch Times employed a "classic disinformation tactic" known as "trading up the chain", in which false stories are repackaged and shared.

After Trump lost the 2020 United States presidential election, The Epoch Times consistently sought to question the election results. The organization produced a 93-minute video that falsely suggested widespread fraud in the counting; one interviewee, attorney Lin Wood, falsely alleged that China had bought an American election vendor. Versions of the video on YouTube, the Epoch Times website and NTD were viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

The Epoch Times created a network of seven new YouTube channels to disseminate election disinformation and other false claims, including falsehoods about the Nashville Christmas Day bombing. Only one of the seven YouTube channels disclosed its ties to The Epoch Times or Falun Gong. In the two and a half months after their creation, the disinformation channels garnered tens of millions of views and at least 1.1 million subscribers.

One of the channels ("Eye Opener With Michael Lewis") portrays itself as an independent effort by the host "and a few friends". After the videos' false and misleading claims were reported, YouTube removed several of the videos in accordance with the site's policy against election disinformation.

The newspaper helped publicize the January 6, 2021, Trump rally in Washington, D.C., that led to the storming of the Capitol by a violent pro-Trump mob. Afterward, one of its columnists suggested that the riot was a "false flag" operation, and Michael Lewis's Epoch Times-linked YouTube channel echoed the same lie, suggesting that the Capitol attack was orchestrated by "antifa" as part of an "old Communist tactic".

COVID-19 coverage and misinformation

See also: COVID-19 misinformation and COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy

The Epoch Times has spread misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic in print and via social media including Facebook and YouTube. In 2022, Raquel Miguel of the European watchdog EU DisinfoLab said, "The Epoch Times has played a noticeable role in transmitting and amplifying many anti-vaccine narratives". According to Josef Holnburger of the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy, a German extremism monitoring agency, The Epoch Times's German edition has been the most shared outlet among Germany's COVID-skeptic movement.

It has promoted anti-CCP rhetoric and conspiracy theories about the pandemic, for example through an eight-page special edition called "How the Chinese Communist Party Endangered the World", which was distributed unsolicited in April 2020 to mail customers in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and in June 2020 in the United Kingdom.

In the newspaper, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is known as the "CCP virus", and a commentary in the paper posed the question, "is the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan an accident occasioned by weaponizing the virus at that lab?" The paper's editorial board suggested that COVID-19 patients cure themselves by "condemning the CCP" and "maybe a miracle will happen".

In France, "special" French-language print editions of The Epoch Times were distributed in 2021 during anti-Health pass protests. In Germany, The Epoch Times has published articles blasting the legitimacy of PCR tests and promoting conspiracy theories about vaccination mishaps.

The misinformation tracker NewsGuard called the French page of The Epoch Times one of the "super-spreaders" of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook, citing an Epoch Times article that suggested the virus was artificially created. NewsGuard later changed the rating of the English edition of The Epoch Times from green to red.

A February 17, 2020, Epoch Times story shared a map from the internet that falsely alleged massive sulfur dioxide releases from crematoria during the COVID-19 pandemic in China, speculating that 14,000 bodies may have been burned. A fact check by AFP reported that the map was a NASA forecast taken out of context.

A widely viewed video released by The Epoch Times on April 7, 2020, was flagged by Facebook as "partly false" for "the unsupported hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is a bioengineered virus released from a Wuhan research laboratory". The video featured Judy Mikovits, an anti-vaccination activist. The fact-checker Health Feedback said of the video that "several of its core scientific claims are false and its facts, even when accurate, are often presented in a misleading way". The video was a 54-minute feature on Joshua Philipp's Crossroads EpochTV series.

On April 29, 2020, a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) story reported that some Canadians were upset to receive a special edition of The Epoch Times that called COVID-19 the "CCP virus". The CBC later retracted a headline on its story that had quoted a recipient saying the special edition was "racist and inflammatory", and the CBC also retracted a claim that The Epoch Times edition had concluded that COVID-19 was a bioweapon. Opinion columns published by conservative tabloid The Toronto Sun accused the CBC of bias against The Epoch Times and said the CBC's report may have misled readers into thinking The Epoch Times was spreading anti-Asian sentiment.

In February 2021, an investigator for EU DisinfoLab found that Tierra Pura, a Spanish-language website first launched in Argentina in March 2020 that publishes COVID-19 misinformation, is closely linked to The Epoch Times and Falun Gong. At the time, the site was the most shared outlet in Spain's COVID-19-skeptic Telegram channels and groups. The Epoch Times and Tierra Pura denied being linked.

In January 2022, the German edition of The Epoch Times amplified accusations by German activist Steffen Löhnitz that the Austrian government had deliberately inflated infection numbers to justify a lockdown. It said Löhnitz had been digging up "correct numbers" and reported his claims of "massive fraud" as fact. The Epoch Times story was shared by figures from Querdenken, Germany's anti-lockdown movement.

Other

In 2010, the paper ran an interview with Canadian Conservative Member of Parliament Rob Anders wherein Anders alleged that the Chinese government used gifts and business deals in attempts to influence Canadian political decisions.

The Epoch Times published a web series with conservative commentator Larry Elder, a candidate in the 2021 recall election against California governor Gavin Newsom.

Social media activity and bans

Ads banned by Facebook and YouTube

The Epoch Media Group spent $11 million on Facebook ads in 2019, including, over a six-month period in 2019, more than $1.5 million on about 11,000 pro-Trump Facebook advertisements purchased by The Epoch Times. According to publicly available Facebook ad data reported by NBC News, The Epoch Times spent more on pro-Trump ads than any group except the Trump campaign itself.

Political ad spending on Facebook in April 2019 through an account called "Coverage of the Trump Presidency by The Epoch Times" exceeded any politician's spending except Trump's and Joe Biden's. Journalist Judd Legum wrote in May 2019 that The Epoch Times ads were "boosting Donald Trump and floating conspiracy theories about Joe Biden".

In August 2019, Facebook banned The Epoch Times from advertising on its platform after finding that the paper broke its political transparency rules by publishing pro-Trump subscription ads through sockpuppet pages such as "Honest Paper" and "Pure American Journalism". A Facebook representative told NBC: "Over the past year we removed accounts associated with The Epoch Times for violating our ad policies, including trying to get around our review systems."

The Epoch Times publisher, Stephen Gregory, wrote in response that the paper did not intend to violate Facebook's rules and that its video ads were advertisements for subscriptions to the newspaper.

After Facebook banned it from advertising, the newspaper shifted its spending to YouTube, where it has spent more than $1.8 million on ads, some promoting conspiracy theories, since May 2018. YouTube demonetized Edge of Wonder, a program of the Epoch Media Group, on its platform, and removed Epoch Times ads relating to COVID-19.

Removal of The BL (The Beauty of Life) from Facebook

In October 2019, the fact-checking website Snopes reported close links between The Epoch Times and a large network of Facebook pages and groups called The BL (The Beauty of Life) that shared pro-Trump views and conspiracy theories such as QAnon. At that time, The BL had spent at least $510,698 on Facebook advertising. Hundreds of the ads were removed for violations of Facebook's advertising rules. By December 2019, the BL network of pages had 28 million Facebook followers, according to Snopes.

The editor-in-chief of The BL had previously worked as editor-in-chief of The Epoch Times, and several other BL employees were listed as current or former Epoch Times employees. The BL was registered in Middletown, New York, to an address that also was registered to Falun Gong's Sound of Hope radio network and was associated with the YouTube series Beyond Science, and Snopes found "the outlet as a whole is literally the English-language edition of Epoch Times Vietnam".

Snopes found that The BL was using more than 300 fake Facebook profiles based in Vietnam and other countries, using names, stock photos and celebrity photos in their profiles to emulate Americans, to administer more than 150 pro-Trump Facebook groups amplifying its content.

The Epoch Times and The BL denied being affiliated with each other, although the latter acknowledged that a "few of our staff" previously worked for The Epoch Times.

In December 2019, Facebook announced it had removed a large network of accounts, pages, and groups linked to The BL and Epoch Media Group for coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign actor. The network had 55 million followers on Facebook and Instagram, and $9.5 million had been spent on Facebook ads through its accounts.

The New York Times reported that The BL had used fake profile photos generated by artificial intelligence. The Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab director Graham Brookie said the coordinated network of fake accounts demonstrated "an eerie, tech-enabled future of disinformation". Facebook's head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said, "What's new here is that this is purportedly a U.S.-based media company leveraging foreign actors posing as Americans to push political content. We've seen it a lot with state actors in the past."

In August 2020, Snopes reported that The BL had evaded Facebook's link ban by creating a clone named The Lion in July. Facebook placed a link ban on The Lion after Snopes contacted it.

Removal of TruthMedia from Facebook

On August 6, 2020, Facebook removed hundreds of fake accounts by a digital company called TruthMedia that promoted Epoch Times and NTD content and pro-Trump conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and protests in the United States. The operation included 303 Facebook accounts, 181 pages, 44 Facebook groups and 31 Instagram accounts, which in total were followed by more than 2 million people. Snopes and NBC News reported that TruthMedia had ties to the Epoch Media Group, but Stephen Gregory, publisher of The Epoch Times, denied this.

TruthMedia, now banned from Facebook, continues to operate YouTube channels in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Vietnamese, and has accounts on Pinterest and Twitter. It appears to have begun a petition to the White House to "start calling the novel coronavirus the CCP virus".

SafeChat

In March 2021, Politico reported that SafeChat, a social media platform rife with disinformation and conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden that is popular with Trump supporters and Chinese dissidents, was closely linked to The Epoch Times and Falun Gong.

Censorship by the Chinese government

In some cases The Epoch Times operates in a hostile overseas environment, in which "overseas Chinese media companies choosing to remain independent or publish non-approved content become the targets of an aggressive campaign of elimination or control". In one instance, Chinese diplomatic officials made threats against media for reporting Falun Gong-related content; in other cases, advertisers and distributors have been threatened for supporting The Epoch Times. Communist Party authorities have been accused of resorting to "militant methods" against the paper and its staff, including attacking staff and destroying computer equipment.

In 2006, the International Federation of Journalists criticized what it called a "dirty war" against The Epoch Times, citing incidents such as The Epoch Times's Hong Kong printing plant being broken into and damaged by unidentified men, and Epoch's offices in Sydney and Toronto receiving suspicious mail envelopes suspected of containing toxic materials. The IFJ also noted incidences of Epoch Times staff and advertisers being intimidated, and newspapers being confiscated, in what it characterized as "a vicious witch-hunt aimed at crushing the voice of dissent".

The newspaper was briefly banned from Malaysia after coming under reported pressure by the Chinese Communist Party.

In 2016, the newspaper was removed from the pharmacy of Australian National University after the president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association confronted the pharmacist and threw out the papers. The incident drew national media coverage over questions of Chinese government-sponsored overseas student organizations.

In November 2019, Reporters Without Borders called on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to protect press freedoms after The Epoch Times said four masked arsonists with batons had damaged its printing press. Additionally, in a 2019 report, Reporters Without Borders said that The Epoch Times's chief technical officer, Li Yuan, was assaulted in his Atlanta, Georgia, home on February 8, 2006, by "suspected Chinese government agents" who took his two laptops.

On April 12, 2021, the Hong Kong printing facility was vandalized during working hours, in the presence of staff members. The attack was captured by the surveillance camera, CCTV.

The 2022 film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was blocked from release in China after the film was submitted for review and footage that made reference to The Epoch Times was found.

The Hong Kong print edition of the newspaper ceased publication after September 17, 2024 due to the expiry of its printer's contract which could not be renewed.

White House controversies

In April 2006, a reporter with temporary Epoch Times press credentials unfurled a protest banner and heckled China's leader Hu Jintao at a summit with President George W. Bush, shouting, "Stop him from killing!" and "Evil people will die early", prompting Chinese officials to refuse to attend a ceremonial lunch in protest. The Epoch Times later disassociated itself from the reporter.

In September 2018, Epoch Times photographer Samira Bouaou broke White House protocol and handed Trump a folder. In August 2020, the White House Correspondents' Association objected to the Trump administration's bending of COVID-19 social distancing rules in press briefings to favor The Epoch Times, The Gateway Pundit and One America News Network.

Assessments

Ming Xia, a political science professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, wrote in 2007 that The Epoch Times represents part of Falun Gong's strategic effort to expand to non-practitioners, and "embed itself into the large civil society for influence and legitimacy". In 2018, he stated that The Epoch Times staff "are not professional journalists and do not follow the protocols professional journalists abide by".

The misinformation tracker NewsGuard said that The Epoch Times "fails to gather and present information responsibly, rarely corrects or clarifies errors and remains opaque as to its ownership and funding".

The Epoch Times has been criticized by some scholars for biases, particularly regarding the Chinese Communist Party and mainland China issues, as well as for being a "mouthpiece" of the Falun Gong movement. James To, a New Zealand political scientist, described The Epoch Times as the "primary mouthpiece" of Falun Gong, writing that it "lacks credibility", despite the newspaper posing a "viable threat to the CCP" by publishing articles about the party's negative aspects.

In his book Blocked on Weibo: What Gets Suppressed on China's Version of Twitter and Why, University of Toronto research fellow Jason Q. Ng referred to the paper's coverage of mainland China issues as "heavily biased against the Communist Party" and thus its reportage "should be viewed skeptically".

A 2018 report by the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank, called The Epoch Times one of the few independent Chinese-language media outlets in the U.S. not taken over by businessmen sympathetic to the Chinese government and one that remains "independent of PRC control". The report also said that reports on China by The Epoch Times and other outlets affiliated with Falun Gong, which is banned from China, are "uneven".

In his 2019 book, Becoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora, sociologist Andrew Junker argued that "simply by increasing the plurality of voices in the diaspora Chinese-language public sphere," The Epoch Times was "playing a progressive role" despite the Falun Gong community's "pariah status" limiting the publication's influence.

Seth Hettena wrote in The New Republic that The Epoch Times "has built a global propaganda machine, similar to Russia's Sputnik or RT, that pushes a mix of alternative facts and conspiracy theories that has won it far-right acolytes around the world".

Joan Donovan of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University called The Epoch Times "a known disinformation operation". Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communication at Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said that The Epoch Times is "a notorious outlet that has been known to spread disinformation and misinformation".

James Bettinger, a professor of communications at Stanford University and the director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships, said "Even if Epoch Times is not associated with Falun Gong, if they consistently write about Falun Gong in the same perspective, or if there are no articles examining Falun Gong, people would perceive it as being not credible." Orville Schell, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at University of California, Berkeley, said in 2005 that "It's hard to vouch for their quality because it's difficult to corroborate, but it's not something to be dismissed as pure propaganda."

In his 2008 book on Falun Gong, David Ownby wrote that The Epoch Times articles are "well written and interesting, if occasionally idiosyncratic in their coverage". According to Ownby, the newspaper has been praised and also criticized for a perceived bias against the CCP, and support of Falun Gong practitioners and other dissidents such as Tibetans, Taiwanese independence advocates, democracy activists, Uyghurs and others. The paper is therefore often assessed in light of its connection to Falun Gong, rather than a thorough analysis of its editorial content.

Jiao Guobiao, a former Beijing University journalism professor who was dismissed after criticizing the CCP propaganda department, proposed that even if The Epoch Times published only negative information highly critical of the CCP, its attacks could never begin to counterbalance the propaganda the party publishes about itself. In addressing media balance, Jiao noted that the Chinese public lacked negative, critical information about their country. As such, he noted for a need of media balance based on the principles of freedom, equality, and legality, and that media balance "is the result of the collective imbalances of all".

Haifeng Huang, professor of political science at the University of California, said, "I'm not exactly clear why they have become such a major pro-Trump voice" but "part of it is perhaps because they regard President Trump as tough on the Chinese government and therefore a natural ally for them".

The web-only German edition of the paper, Epoch Times Deutschland, has aligned with the anti-immigration far-right in Germany, favorably commenting on Alternative for Germany and Pegida while criticizing mainstream German media as untrustworthy. Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian of Foreign Policy writes that "It's not clear why the German website of a Falun Gong newspaper would choose to promote right-wing populism in Germany" but that the decision could be a business decision to drive an increase in views of the publication, or because such views reflect the teaching of Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi, "who believes that mixed-race children are 'pitiable' and 'physically and intellectually incomplete'".

A German media report described the outlet as a "favorite" of Pegida supporters, along with Sputnik News and Kopp Report, and found that its articles critical of immigration have been shared almost daily.

A report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think tank, said the German edition of The Epoch Times "primarily runs anti-West, anti-American and pro-Kremlin content—a high proportion of this content is based on unverified information".

In December 2019, the English Misplaced Pages deprecated the English and Chinese online versions of The Epoch Times as an "unreliable source" to use as a reference in Misplaced Pages, with editors calling it "an advocacy group for the Falun Gong, and  a biased or opinionated source that frequently publishes conspiracy theories".

In March 2022, Angelo Carusone, head of watchdog group Media Matters for America, said that The Epoch Times "go where the center for the strongest infrastructure or possibility of getting as much audience and influence and reach is", and added that this complexity makes it "radically different and hard to understand". According to Carusone, the metric of success for The Epoch Times is simply influence rather than money or a specific political agenda.

Litigation

The Epoch Times and its co-founder Dana Cheng sued Maine Beacon reporter Dan Neumann for defamation after Neumann reported on Cheng's promotion of conspiracy theories about the January 6 Capitol attack in June 2021. In October 2022, the paper lost an effort to revive the lawsuit, with the judges finding that the alleged defamatory reporting was substantially true.

Awards

In 2014, the newspaper's reporting won several journalism awards, which The New York Times later described as indicative of The Epoch Times "edging closer to Mr. Li's vision of a respectable news outlet", before it changed course in 2015 and 2016 to focus on viral content and a "Trump pivot".

References

  1. ^ Sources describing The Epoch Times as a far-right publication:
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  4. Zhang, Xinyi; Davis, Mark (June 7, 2022). "E-extremism: A conceptual framework for studying the online far right". New Media & Society. 26 (5). SAGE: 2954–2970. doi:10.1177/14614448221098360. ISSN 1461-4448. S2CID 249482748. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022. Beyond US-based far-right news websites such as Breitbart, Infowars and Epoch Times, other alternative online media outlets include Australia-based XYZ and The Unshackled, Canada-based Rebel News and UK-based Politicalite.com and PoliticalUK.co.uk, just to name a few, which operate as far-right metapolitical channels and counter-publics that strive to influence mainstream culture and discourse (Holt, 2019).
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