3 ms·

Isn't the epoch times a far right paper funded by the Falun Gong religious group?

hammock 3y ago
Wikipedia says it's far-right, but AllSides says an Independent Review, Editorial Reviews from Aug 2020 and Aug 2019, 23,058 ratings from Community Feedback and Blind Surveys from May 2022 and Aug 2020 showed it was Leans Right (2.5 out of 6), and AllSides has high confidence in this bias rating. Lean Right is a moderately conservative rating on the political spectrum. Info on the media bias rating methods used can be found here https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-rating-methods https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-rating-method...
- LatteLazy 3y ago
  I mean, far right Vs just right seems like splitting hairs to me. I find it much more worrying it's a hidden religious organization with (maybe justified) political purposes that controls it...
  - hammock 3y ago
    Aren't there other major news organizations funded by organizations with (maybe justified) hidden political purposes that controls them? Project Mockingbird (and its modern incarnations) comes to mind. So does Jeff Bezos' ownership of the Washington Post, Elon Musk's control of Twitter, Rupert Murdoch and Fox, etc.
    - LatteLazy 3y ago
      Yeah, and I don't trust those much. But I also think Musk or Bezos are similar, and just self interested but rational. That's not true of niche religious groups. And those are established orgs that have come under control, not orgs built from the ground up to push an agenda...
      - hammock 3y ago
        >those are established orgs that have come under control, not orgs built from the ground up to push an agenda... The Washington Post was literally founded (in 1877) "to advance Democratic Party views." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilson_Hutchins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilson_Hutchins
- r721 3y ago
  AllSides itself leans right, other similar services say: >Overall, we rate The Epoch Times Right Biased and Questionable based on the publication of pseudoscience and the promotion of propaganda and conspiracy theories, as well as numerous failed fact checks. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-times/ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-times/ >Ad Fontes Media rates The Epoch Times in the Hyper-Partisan Right category of bias and as Unreliable, Problematic in terms of reliability. https://adfontesmedia.com/epoch-times-bias-and-reliability/ https://adfontesmedia.com/epoch-times-bias-and-reliability/
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    > AllSides itself leans right, other similar services say Yeah, bias ratings have a very big natural quis custodiet ipsos custodes problem even if you assume good faith efforts, and then you have to consider how attractive thing for anyone deliberately trying to sell a particular bias.
PaulHoule 3y ago
I think they were always anti-CCP, but they made the mistake (I think) of getting 100% behind Trump a few years ago. It's a mistake because Trump won't be around forever but they'll never live that down.
- LatteLazy 3y ago
  Thanks, that makes sense.
  - PaulHoule 3y ago
    They've painted themselves into a corner in other ways. Falun Gong believes that the writings of the founder are infallible and can't be changed, that's actually a good answer to the problems of living under communism if you understand their history. Falun Gong is basically a group of people who get together and do exercises in the park. Any organization in "the New China" is required to be monitored and infiltrated by communist cadres. To avoid this infiltration Falun Gong has no organization, no money changing hands, the entire "control" in the organization is through the writings of the founder which are distributed for free. They have a position which is basically "being gay is bad for your Gong" which is anathema to western human rights organizations and has been one reason it has not gotten support from governments and NGOs. I wouldn't say that they are an organization that is intended primarily to torment gay people, but the fact that they're stuck in this position closes a lot of doors to them and if they are going to find support it's going to be from people who agree with this position as opposed to people who disagree with this position but still agree they have human rights. So that's one more reason for them to align with the western right.
    - LatteLazy 3y ago
      It's difficult because I don't like the CCP. But I am gay and I'm tired of weird religious groups pushing their way into politics (here in the UK). And fake news like I've seen from these guys is another blight. It's like picking the lessor evil...
      - 3y ago

Wikipedia says it's far-right, but AllSides says an Independent Review, Editorial Reviews from Aug 2020 and Aug 2019, 23,058 ratings from Community Feedback and Blind Surveys from May 2022 and Aug 2020 showed it was Leans Right (2.5 out of 6), and AllSides has high confidence in this bias rating. Lean Right is a moderately conservative rating on the political spectrum. Info on the media bias rating methods used can be found here https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-rating-methods https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-rating-method...

LatteLazy 3y ago
I mean, far right Vs just right seems like splitting hairs to me. I find it much more worrying it's a hidden religious organization with (maybe justified) political purposes that controls it...
- hammock 3y ago
  Aren't there other major news organizations funded by organizations with (maybe justified) hidden political purposes that controls them? Project Mockingbird (and its modern incarnations) comes to mind. So does Jeff Bezos' ownership of the Washington Post, Elon Musk's control of Twitter, Rupert Murdoch and Fox, etc.
  - LatteLazy 3y ago
    Yeah, and I don't trust those much. But I also think Musk or Bezos are similar, and just self interested but rational. That's not true of niche religious groups. And those are established orgs that have come under control, not orgs built from the ground up to push an agenda...
    - hammock 3y ago
      >those are established orgs that have come under control, not orgs built from the ground up to push an agenda... The Washington Post was literally founded (in 1877) "to advance Democratic Party views." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilson_Hutchins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilson_Hutchins
r721 3y ago
AllSides itself leans right, other similar services say: >Overall, we rate The Epoch Times Right Biased and Questionable based on the publication of pseudoscience and the promotion of propaganda and conspiracy theories, as well as numerous failed fact checks. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-times/ https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-times/ >Ad Fontes Media rates The Epoch Times in the Hyper-Partisan Right category of bias and as Unreliable, Problematic in terms of reliability. https://adfontesmedia.com/epoch-times-bias-and-reliability/ https://adfontesmedia.com/epoch-times-bias-and-reliability/
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  > AllSides itself leans right, other similar services say Yeah, bias ratings have a very big natural quis custodiet ipsos custodes problem even if you assume good faith efforts, and then you have to consider how attractive thing for anyone deliberately trying to sell a particular bias.

PaulHoule 3y ago

I think they were always anti-CCP, but they made the mistake (I think) of getting 100% behind Trump a few years ago. It's a mistake because Trump won't be around forever but they'll never live that down.

LatteLazy 3y ago
Thanks, that makes sense.
- PaulHoule 3y ago
  They've painted themselves into a corner in other ways. Falun Gong believes that the writings of the founder are infallible and can't be changed, that's actually a good answer to the problems of living under communism if you understand their history. Falun Gong is basically a group of people who get together and do exercises in the park. Any organization in "the New China" is required to be monitored and infiltrated by communist cadres. To avoid this infiltration Falun Gong has no organization, no money changing hands, the entire "control" in the organization is through the writings of the founder which are distributed for free. They have a position which is basically "being gay is bad for your Gong" which is anathema to western human rights organizations and has been one reason it has not gotten support from governments and NGOs. I wouldn't say that they are an organization that is intended primarily to torment gay people, but the fact that they're stuck in this position closes a lot of doors to them and if they are going to find support it's going to be from people who agree with this position as opposed to people who disagree with this position but still agree they have human rights. So that's one more reason for them to align with the western right.
  - LatteLazy 3y ago
    It's difficult because I don't like the CCP. But I am gay and I'm tired of weird religious groups pushing their way into politics (here in the UK). And fake news like I've seen from these guys is another blight. It's like picking the lessor evil...
    - 3y ago