The Epoch Times - Misplaced Pages

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The Epoch Times (Simplified Chinese: 大纪元; Traditional Chinese: 大紀元; Pinyin: Dàjìyuán) is a Falun Gong-linked , politically conservative (by United States standards) Chinese newspaper distributed free-of-charge in roughly 30 countries worldwide and translated in more than ten languages. Billed by its publisher as "independent," the newspaper claims to have a special strength in its coverage of China and human rights issues, and frequently contains articles with strongly opinionated views on the Communist Party of China, mainland Chinese society, and groups against the CCP, especially Falun Gong. The authencity and supposed bias of the paper has often caught criticism.

History

According to itself, The Epoch Times was founded by a small circle of journalists in China in 2000. The journalists relayed stories overseas of alleged human rights abuses, infringements on civil liberties, and corruption in the Communist Party of China (CCP), among others.

Despite being blocked by authorities inside China, the Epoch Times continued to expand operations overseas and has since become one of the most widely distributed Chinese newspapers serving the overseas Chinese population, since it is distributed for free. It now has a weekly print distribution of over 1 million copies in 30 countries worldwide. The paper has a sister television station, New Tang Dynasty TV, and a sister radio station, Sound of Hope Radio Station.

In August 2004, an English language edition of the Epoch Times was launched in Manhattan. English editions are distributed in Australia, Canada (Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina and Ottawa), Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States (Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Houston, Atlanta). German and French editions were launched in late 2004, and more recently Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Ukrainian, Dutch and Hebrew editions have started up in print.

In May 2005, Die Neue Epoche (German edition of the Epoch Times) received a special media prize from the International Society for Human Rights (IGFM) for "extensive and regular reporting about violations of human rights in China." . In September 2005, the English version of the paper was recognized during the National Ethnomedia Week 2005 in Canada as a "strong defender of human rights and free democratic values.". The international versions of the paper is less explicit in their anti-CCP stance than the Chinese version.

Wang Wenyi, an Epoch Times reporter, was removed from the White House grounds by the United States Secret Service on April 20, 2006 for shouting and disrupting a speech by President Hu Jintao of China. On April 21, 2006, she was charged in federal court with a misdemeanor of willfully intimidating, coercing threatening and harassing a foreign official. If convicted, she could receive up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The Epoch Times claims to be one of the few major international Chinese language newspapers that is not directly or indirectly influenced by the Chinese Communist Party. However it is not seen by the majority of the overseas Chinese community as a major newspaper or standard or conventional broadsheet.

As of April 2006, The Epoch Times has 10 languages in print, and 17 languages on the web.

Beware of Spies.

Web Spies employed by the Chinese Communist government is editing reviews associated with this newspaper.

Criticism

In the overseas Chinese community, where The Epoch Times is widely distributed, reactions are mixed. Some commend it for providing alternative views on China and its Communist government, in particular on topics which the Chinese Communist Party would presumably censor. Others criticize the paper, accusing it of having lax journalistic standards, an exaggerated tone, making false stories, and of pro-Falun Gong bias.

One of the biggest criticisms of The Epoch Times is its penchant towards airing only news stories that cast mainland China in a one-dimensional, negative light and for commentaries that select and interpret facts in questionable ways. Positive stories about mainland China (such as its economy) were often downplayed with a negative attitude, and are accused by some as promoting Sinophobia. Although a concentration of these negative articles may be published in The Epoch Times, they are not exclusive and many of these reports can also be found in neutral overseas Chinese newspapers, although in a much more balanced way. It is notable for using exaggerated or aggressive headlines more akin to those found in tabloid papers. It is also criticized for not making a clear distinction between news and commentary, and often blend the two. Due to these criticisms, some people view The Epoch Times as an opinion journal rather than a serious newspaper following established journalistic standards.

In defense of its editorial policy, The Epoch Times says that it is necessary to provide alternate views on news, that pro-CCP articles and interpretations need not be reported, as they are not subject to censorship by China's state-owned media, and can be found in most major Chinese newspapers. They do not see Chinese state-controlled media as legitimate media, but rather as propaganda tools at the hands of the ruling Communist Party. In response to accusations of anti-China bias, the paper says that it's anti-communist, but not anti-Chinese, and that the CCP does not represent China due to lack of democracy. However, it often refers to mainland China as "Communist China" in its reports, including non-political articles, as it does not recognise the CCP as the legitimate government of China.

The Epoch Times is very vocal in supporting dissidents, Falun Gong practitioners, pro-independence Taiwanese, American conservatives, and all other traditional opponents of the CCP; 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 . The paper argues that most, if not all, government-sponsored Chinese news sources already contain opinions in agreement with Chinese governmental policies, and that it is simply providing a service to the reader.

The Epoch Times has recently run into trouble with press laws in places outside of mainland China with large Chinese populations, such as Singapore, and Malaysia, with the paper's printers facing closure. The newspaper says these actions violate freedom of information, and that the respective governments are pressured by the CCP to do so. )

In Hong Kong, The Epoch Times' has also been distributed for free at several spots, including the train stations. In October 2003, The times was accused of distributing the paper to travelers who, without the knowledge of the paper, brought it to the Mainland China. Travelers, including housewives and retired citizens, were detained by China Custom for several hours, some of them had to cancel air tickets and original trip.

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" (simplified Chinese: 九评共产党; traditional Chinese: 九評共產黨; pinyin: Jǐupíng Gòngchǎn dǎng), which won the “Asian American Issues - Online”National Journalism Award at the 2005 Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) convention held in August 2005. The editorials give an alternate exposé of the CCP through its history, from its ascent to power under Mao Zedong to its present-day form, as well as a condemnation of communism 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 Nikita Khrushchev. Portions of the history given by the Commentaries are allegedly difficult to support using traditionally respected history texts of 20th century China, which supporters of the "Commentaries" attribute to the CCP'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. It is unclear how Epoch Times obtains some of this information, as it lacks any footnotes or references of sources. The prevailing tone of the editorials is staunchly anti-communist with no consideration given to other viewpoints, and considered by some to be anti-communist propaganda. This attitude is attributed to the assumption that the intended Chinese audience who already knows the other side of the story need not be reminded of it.

The "Commentaries" were subsequently rendered into other languages. 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 CCP, calling it 'an Anti-Universe Force', 'an evil spirit from the West', and that the Chinese Communist Party is the 'red dragon' mentioned in the book of Revelations of the Bible. Such phrases are similar to the ones used by the CCP to outlaw Falun Gong, such as denouncing each other of being 'evil cults'. The tone is said to be geared towards the communication style to which mainland Chinese readers, mostly who grew up during the Cultural Revolution would be accustomed to. 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 CCP, its contents are controversial and disputed by others who call it historical revisionism and Falun Gong propaganda. Because such text is banned in China, the paper often sends unsolicited junk mail to spread their message inside mainland China. .

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, The Real Story of Jiang Zemin.

CCP Renunciations and Controversy

The Epoch Times claims that the publication of the "Commentaries" and its subsequent call to CCP members to "erase the beastly brand" has caused more than 10.4 million CCP members to resign. 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 CCP resignations within China since anyone regardless of Chinese citizenship or CCP membership could submit their name and be counted as a person who has claimed to have renounced their CCP 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 censorship. The count also includes any renunciations of past or current association with any CCP-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 CCP will be destroyed in 2005" , and called members of the CCP to burn Communist memorabilia. However such renunciations are not recognised as valid and official by the CCP, as they are not conducted through the proper channels via the party .

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. Regardless, the commentaries have had no discernible effect on Chinese politics, and no CCP official in either the central or regional governments is known to have resigned on account of the "Commentaries".

References

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

External links

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