QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for the purpose of profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.
- Overall, we rate CCTV International (CCTV-9) Questionable and Mixed for factual reporting due to the use of poor sources and the publication of state propaganda through bias by omission.
Detailed Report
Reasoning: Poor Sourcing, State Propaganda
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: China
Press Freedom Rating: TOTAL OPPRESSION
Media Type: TV Station
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
Launched in 2000, CCTV International (CCTV-9) is the English-language 24-hour news channel of the national broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), with its headquarters in Beijing.
CCTV International provides coverage of public and government affairs, world events, politics, business, culture & sports, live video broadcast, rebroadcast, video on demand, video download, and visual/audio search services. CCTV International emphasizes a Chinese perspective and promotes Chinese culture and a positive image of China. Currently, Shen Haixiong is the director of CCTV.
Read our profile on Chinese Media and Government.
Funded by / Ownership
CCTV International (CCTV-9) is the English-language news channel of state-owned China Central Television (CCTV). The China Media Group is a new broadcasting platform made up of China Central Television (CCTV), China Radio International (CRI), and China National Radio (CNR), which comes under the Publicity Department. You can learn more about Chinese media ownership and influence by viewing our report on the Chinese government and media.
Analysis / Bias
Reporters Without Borders states, “President Xi Jinping has succeeded in imposing a social model in China based on control of news and information and online surveillance of its citizens. At the same time, he has been trying to export this oppressive model by promoting a “new world media order” under China’s influence” According to their 2020 report, China ranks 175 out of 180, which equates to almost zero press freedom.
According to Reuters, CCTV International (CCTV-9) is a part of the global “soft power” launched by CCTV to extend its influence. This is to “follow the party line and promote “positive propaganda as the main theme.”
Most articles about the Communist Government are favorable with zero criticism of President Xi Jinping. In other words, the content you find on the website is generally factual and neutral in tone. Still, the consistent bias by omission makes CCTV International a factually Mixed propaganda source. For example, “Xi underlines winning anti-poverty battle during Ningxia inspection.” and “Xi’s Yellow River tour a boost to ecological protection, high-quality development.” Further, they exclusively utilize the factually mixed Chinese state-run press agency Xinhua News Agency.
When reporting USA news, CCTV International (CCTV-9) utilizes minimally loaded words in their articles, and they do present low biased coverage of USA news (when it is US-related news) “George Floyd’s brother testifies before U.S. Congress as police reform becomes partisan issue.” However, they favor China when it is related to state affairs: China rebukes Pompeo’s swipe at HSBC backing national security legislation”. The news is generally reported factually; however, it is misleading due to strong censorship of anything negative toward China.
Failed Fact Checks
- An IFCN fact-checker has not fact-checked them
Overall, we rate CCTV International (CCTV-9) Questionable and Mixed for factual reporting due to the use of poor sources and the publication of state propaganda through bias by omission. (8/31/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 05/27/2022)
Source: https://english.cctv.com/
Last Updated on May 17, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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