Column: How I Became a Tool of China’s Giant Anti-American Propaganda Machine

When I write critical columns about American politics and politics, I occasionally strike a chord and receive outraged letters from readers denouncing me as a traitor or suggesting I ship wheat to our country’s enemies.

For example, I was told to move to China because I am anti-American. And when I raised the possibility of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, I was accused of being Vladimir Putin’s lapdog.

I have never taken such accusations seriously, because while I am sure I am writing things that many readers will disagree with, I know that I am not an idiot, an apologist or a propagandist for America’s opponents.

So I must admit I was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that one of my columns had become the subject of an article on the website of the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, a major news organization with a propaganda website that publishes articles in Chinese. , English and other languages ​​for millions of people around the world.

The Chinese government used my column, which painted a bleak, depressing picture of contemporary American politics, as part of its ongoing effort to convince its readers that the United States is less stable, democratic, and egalitarian than they may think it is. be in reality. in a state of malaise, chaos and the onset of crisis.

It is true that my column spoke of “dangerous” partisanship and a “culture of extreme political polarization” in the US. Xinhua accurately described my fear of a “dysfunctional government.”

But my words somehow took on a harder tone when I read them on a website dedicated to making the United States look bad. “LA Times columnist covers battle between US Democrats and Republicans,” read the headline.

I stand by my critique of DC policy, but now it is placed in a different and much more hostile context. Here were some of the other headlines on the site: “U.S. Sanctions Deprive Iranians of Fresh Air Amid Heavy Pollution: Experts.” “China urges US to give up hegemony and bullying.” “Insights from the world: Washington has money for wars abroad, but no railroads at home – critics.” “Miracle America Must Avoid a Recession: American Economist.”

The site offers endless stories of racism in America, police shootings, heat deaths, power outages and environmental disasters.

On the other hand, Xinhua’s stories about China have, let’s say, a different tone: “Farmers benefit from the tea industry in Pu’an District in southwest China.” “Tourists enjoy their fun at the Harbin Songhua River and the Ice Snow Carnival.”

And my personal favorite: “Xi urges party cadres to do everything possible to ensure that people live happy lives.”

The Xinhua News Agency is no small, fringe effort. It is almost 100 years old and has more than 180 offices worldwide. According to Joshua Kurlantzick in Foreign Policy, the one-sided, agenda-driven version of the world is reaching an audience that will soon rival that of the Associated Press or the BBC. The press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders called Xinhua “the largest propaganda agency in the world.”

China is not the first or only government to distort or manipulate the news for its own gain. Propaganda is at least as old as the Roman civil wars. It was refined by Genghis Khan and his Mongol Empire in the 13th century, the British Empire in India in the 19th century, and Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in the mid-20th century, among others.

The US does too. Just one of many examples of American propaganda is Radio Free Europe, a state-funded news organization founded during the Cold War to sell America and American values ​​to those behind the so-called Iron Curtain.

But Chinese propaganda is the big news today. Last month, The Economist estimated that Chinese President Xi Jinping is spending $7 to $10 billion to “tell China’s story well.”

And apparently it works. The Economist pointed to a recent study in which scholars from Yale, Harvard and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands showed Chinese propaganda and messages from the US government to 6,000 people in 19 countries. They were asked before and after the political models of both countries. At the end of the survey, a majority said they prefer China’s form of government to that of the United States. The messages convinced them that China, while not necessarily more democratic, “delivers growth, stability and capable leadership”.

And now my article is part of that message.

It sure is disturbing. But what can I do about it?

I suppose I can promise to be less negative about American politics, because politics stops at the water’s edge, and so on. But that would be stupid.

Let the Chinese do what they want with my articles. I still believe that free debate leads to a stronger and healthier country in the long run.

According to the 2022 Human Rights Watch report, China has severe restrictions on freedom of expression. The government censors news, penalizes dissent and spreads disinformation. People have been harassed, jailed or prosecuted for their online posts and private chats critical of the government. They have been hit with false accusations of “inciting riots” and “insulting the country’s leaders”. Chinese citizens are increasingly being punished for statements deemed “unpatriotic”.

There was no mention of it on the Xinhua website.

I’ve criticized the U.S. government a lot during my four decades in journalism, but I’ve never faced harassment or censorship or the possibility of official punishment.

The suppression of speech gives power to dictators. Free debate enables citizens in a democracy to make informed choices about how they are governed.

No system is perfect, but if I had to choose I’d go with the latter, thanks. And as for an instrument of Chinese propaganda, I agree.

@Nick_Goldberg