Reuters-US accuses China of global media manipulation
September 28, 2023 2 min 342 words
这篇报道揭示了美国对中国全球媒体操控行为的严重担忧。美国指责中国通过审查、数据收集和秘密购买外国新闻机构来操控全球媒体，警告这一趋势可能导致全球言论自由的“严重萎缩”。美国国务院在一份报告中表示，北京每年花费数十亿美元用于信息操控，包括通过“公开和非公开手段”收购外国媒体股份，赞助网络意见领袖以及签署促进未标明中国政府内容的分发协议。 这一报道凸显了国际舞台上媒体在政治和信息战中的关键地位，同时也揭示了中美两国之间的地缘政治竞争升级。中国领导人试图应对国际媒体传播的负面形象，这反映出他们感到国际媒体对中国的报道不公正。 国务院的全球参与中心引用公开报道和“新获得的政府信息”，称北京已经通过拉拢外国政治精英和记者，投资于卫星网络和数字电视服务等发展中地区，以优先推广中国政府支持的媒体内容，构建了自己的信息生态系统。 该报道还指出，中国在海外的数据收集使其能够通过针对特定个人和组织来微调全球审查。报告警告说，如果不加以制约，北京的努力可能导致全球言论自由的严重萎缩。 然而，尽管投入了前所未有的资源，中国在针对民主国家时遭遇了“重大挫折”，这是因为受到了当地媒体和民间社会的抵制。这一报告是根据国会的要求制作的，旨在详细说明国家信息操控行为。这一问题将继续引发国际社会的关注，因为媒体自由和信息传播对于塑造国际关系和政治格局至关重要。
China is manipulating global media through censorship, data harvesting and covert purchases of foreign news outlets, the United States said on Thursday, warning the trend could lead to a "sharp contraction" of global freedom of expression.
The U.S. State Department said in a report that Beijing has spent billions of dollars annually on information manipulation efforts, including by acquiring stakes in foreign media through "public and non-public means," sponsoring online influencers and securing distribution agreements that promote unlabeled Chinese government content.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In July, Beijing responded to a NATO communique accusing it of coercive policies and spreading disinformation by saying the statement disregarded basic facts, deliberately discredited China and distorted its policies.
The U.S. report comes amid controversy over China's efforts in recent years to expand the global footprint of its government-controlled media, especially as geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington has intensified. Chinese leaders have sought to combat the negative images of China they feel are spread by world media.
Citing public reports and "newly acquired government information," the State Department's Global Engagement Center said that Beijing had created its own information ecosystem by co-opting foreign political elites and journalists. It had also invested in satellite networks and digital television services in developing regions that prioritize Chinese state-backed media content.
Chinese data harvesting overseas "has enabled Beijing to fine-tune global censorship by targeting specific individuals and organizations," it said.
"Unchecked, Beijing's efforts could result in .... a sharp contraction of global freedom of expression," the report said.
Despite unprecedented resources devoted to the campaign, Beijing had encountered "major setbacks" when targeting democratic countries due to local media and civil society push back, according to the report, which was produced under a congressional mandate to detail state information manipulation.