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 an independent, politically conservative Chinese newspaper which is freely distributed in eight languages and in roughly 30 countries worldwide. It is noted for devoting space to negative views on the Communist Party of China and content relating to Falun Gong.

History

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

Despite crackdowns by authorities inside China, the Epoch Times continued to expand operations overseas and has since become one of the more widely distributed Chinese newspapers serving the overseas Chinese diaspora. It now has a weekly print distribution of over 1 million copies in 30 countries worldwide.

In August 2004, an English language edition of the Epoch Times was launched in Manhattan. Currently, it is distributed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC, Houston, Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Regina and Ottawa, as well as in the United Kingdom and Australia. German and French editions were launched in late 2004, and more recently Russian, Spanish and Japanese editions have started up in print.

It claims to be the one of the only major international Chinese language newspapers outside of Taiwan that is not directly or indirectly influenced by the Chinese Communist Party.

Focus

The Epoch Times originally targeted Chinese readers living abroad and reported on the alleged persecutions, abuses, and inner workings of the CCP. Its reports on China are highly critical. It has since grown to report on civil rights issues worldwide in a conservative view, and now appeals to a somewhat wider audience. 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 featuring articles from major wire services.

The paper is unique in giving a large amount of attention to Falun Gong's campaigns, particularly their attempt to sue former Chinese Premier Jiang Zemin under civil legislation. Because of this, the paper has over the years been accused by the Chinese government and its supporters of being primarily a propaganda mouthpiece of Falun Gong. Its Chinese editions tend to carry a large number of articles promoting traditional Chinese mythology and Biblical stories, not just Falun Gong doctrines, in a way that reinforces the paper's stance against the CCP.

The paper states that 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 SARS, 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-CCP propaganda through its own pieces.

Criticism

In the 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 censor. Others criticize the paper, accusing it of having lax journalistic standards, an exaggerated tone, and of pro-Falun Gong bias.

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. 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.

The Epoch Times is very vocal in supporting dissidents, Falun Gong practioners, pro-independence Taiwanese, and other 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 lauguage online forum are also subject to 'content review' before being posted. The paper argues that most, if not all, government-censored Chinese news sources already contain opinions in agreement with Chinese governmental policies.

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

Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party

In November 2004, the Chinese version of The Epoch Times published and heavily promoted a series of editorials entitled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" ("Jiuping" in Chinese), 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. Portions of the history given by the Commentaries are 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.

The "Commentaries" were subsequently rendered into other languages. Readers of the English version often find the "Commentaries" to 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 'an evil cult' itself. 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. 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.

The Epoch Times claims that the publication of the "Commentaries" and its subsequent call to CCP members to "erase the beastly brand" has caused over 4 million CCP members to resign. Submissions include online signatures and public declarations for people inside mainland China unable to access the online website due to censorship. The count actually includes any renunciations of past or current association with any CCP-affiliated organization. The Epoch Times reports of severe unrest in China as a direct result of the publication of the "Commentaries"; the extent of the paper's effect on Chinese politics is, however, unclear.

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