A reporter working for Phoenix Media was challenged by the president as working for China. That became the story. Trump berates Reporter. What’s newsy about that? He does that to every partisan hack in the room. What’s the real story? She does “work” for China.
The reporter, Youyou Wang, insists Phoenix Media is privately owned. Sure, except for the parts that are owned by China.
The Hong Kong/Cayman Islands based Phoenix Media is actually owned in large part by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and by a former CCP propaganda officer.
As of 2018, Phoenix Satellite Holdings was owned by Liu Changle (37.1% of shares). Changle is a “former PLA propaganda official who is close to senior Chinese government leaders”.
Changle previously worked as a propaganda officer for China National Radio (then known as the Central People’s Broadcasting Station).
Changle could just as easily work for the New York Times, CNN, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, or the Washington Post – to name a few. They’ve all been working overtime to push Chinese propaganda into the mainstream consciousness and doing a fine job. A majority of Democrats have bought in and not just because they like China more than the US.
But Steve, sure he’s a “former” Chinese propaganda officer, but that’s only 37%.
A further 20 percent of the company is owned by Extra Step Investments Limited, in turn owned by China Mobile Hong Kong, which itself is owned by the Chinese government-owned China Mobile.
Eight more percent of the company is owned by China Wise Investment Ltd, owned by the Bank of China.
We’re up to 65%, which is more than a majority interest, controlled by prominent Communist Chinese assets.
The American media outlets willing to admit this are limiting themselves to phrases like, ‘it does appear to have connections to China.’ Then there’s the racist angle; Trump accuses Asian Reporter of working for China (but, she does!). And the woman-hater angle: the president sparred with [X] number of Female Reporters today (including the one working for China).
For those who forgot, we are ‘at war’ with China on several fronts. Not the shooting kind but just about every other. Trade, technology, intellectual property, human rights, drugs, manufacturing, and let’s add the potential global side-effects of certain wet-market culinary preferences to that.
And, most importantly, free press vs. propaganda. Especially now.
It’s interesting that shortly after China kicked US reporters out of China, ABC News Jonathan Karl, the current head of the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), chose to let her into the WH Coronavirus press briefing.
Interesting, not surprising.
https://youtu.be/bJn-2-eR3KU
