Detailed Report

Reasoning: State Propaganda
Bias Rating: LEFT
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: China
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: TOTAL OPPRESSION
Media Type: Newspaper
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY

History

Launched in 1981, China Daily is a Chinese news organization from Beijing, China, which provides news and analysis, finance, sports, education, and more, for global readers focusing on China. China Daily also publishes 9 overseas editions “covering North and South America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa according to its about page.” China Daily’s Publisher and Editor-in-Chief is former vice president of Xinhua News Agency Zhou Shuchun. Larry Lee is vice chairman of China Daily Holding Co., Ltd, which is the parent company of China Daily USA.

Read our report on how the Chinese government influences media.

Funded by / Ownership

The Communist Party of China runs China Daily. A disclaimer at the bottom of the web page states, “The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc.) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC).” China Daily (Holding) Co. Ltd is the parent company of China Daily USA. China Daily is funded through advertising and subscriptions; however, we could not find the details of government funding. According to an Economist article titled “China is spending billions on its foreign-language media,” the government funds the media.

Analysis / Bias

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has described how China uses its political influence to export its media model to other countries with a report titled “China’s Pursuit of a New World.”

Here are some examples of the National news coverage of China Daily: After a major drugmaker was found to be supplying expired vaccines to children, China Daily published an editorial with a critical tone, “Transparency can help ease panic over vaccine scandal: China Daily Editorial.” China Daily typically sources to Xinhua News Agency or New China News Agency (China’s official state-run press agency). They also publish articles criticizing western media on The Xinjiang conflict centered around the Uyghurs, “Reality of Xinjiang different from that portrayed by West.” The Guardian and Der Spiegel, among others, report this story quite differently. 

When covering world news about the USA, they use loaded language such as “No credibility to Trump’s China-hacking tweets,” with a quote from the article that reads, “To the thinking person, there are few things more disconcerting than a tweet by the US president as they initially seem to accord to reality but then quickly turn into messages from some alternative universe.”

Failed Fact Checks

• “Wilson Edwards, a biologist in Switzerland … said on his Facebook account: ‘As a biologist, I’ve witnessed in consternation over the past months how the origin-tracing of COVID-19 was politicized’.” – False
• “U.S. Navy threatens livelihoods in South China Sea” – False
• “Washington’s weaponizing food hurts world.” – False
• “An African-American journalist forcibly arrested for reporting the Ohio accident.” – Misleading
• Although they have not failed many fact-checks, the Government controls what is printed, which always supports the Communist Party of China.

Overall, we rate the China Daily Questionable based on the endorsement of the Chinese Communist Government and editorial positions that promote state propaganda. (7/29/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 11/20/2023)

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/