Semafor Says It Wants To Fix the ‘Crisis of Trust in News.’ It Just Partnered With a Chinese Communist Influence Group.

Popular media startup Semafor has new partners to help it fix. “the crisis of trust in news”: A group of Chinese Communist Party front organizations, soft-on China business leaders, and one organisation that calls itself a “chamber of commerce led by the Communist Party of China.”

For a “partnership”, the online news outlet has partnered with the Center for China & Globalization for aChina and Global Business“Initiative to launch in Beijing later this Year. The Communist Party has designated the center as part of China’s unified front system. Uses Influence “universities, think tanks, scholars, [and] journalists.” Semafor’s Initiative will bring together CCP allies and Americans well-known for theirdovish views towards Beijing. John Thornton, a Brookings Institution donor, is one of them. He has also longstanding ties to Chinese officials.

Semafor’s “ambitious” New initiative challenges its claim to be global news platform. “addressing the crisis of trust in news.” Media watchdogs are concerned about foreign and corporate influence on American news agencies, in particular China’s attempts to influence American news sources. The New York Times Washington Post We have terminated advertising deals with Chinese state media outlets due to the negative optics of these relationships and the possibility that foreign influence could shape editorial coverage.

Ben Smith, cofounder of Semafor. He is also a former Buzzfeed editor, “ The China Initiative is designed to counterbalance the imbalance “hawkish” Washington’s views towards China. An advisory board representing a “diversity of opinion” The topic of U.S. China relations. However, a quick glance at the members of the advisory board calls this claim into question.

Wang Huiyao is a member of the Center for China & Globalization’s advisory board. He is a Chinese government advisor and an official at various organizations. helped develop China’s controversial “Thousand Talents” FBI has created a program called the “Program for Children.” “ Beijing uses trade secrets to steal from American companies and pose national security risk for the U.S. government.

Chen Deming is a former Chinese minister for commerce and member of an advisory board. He has been a member of the Chinese Communist Party since 1974. Cui Tiankai (ex-ambassador of China) is another adviser who has protected Beijing’s human right record. 2018 he dismissed Concerns about China’s persecution of Muslim Uyghurs were dismissed by China, who claimed that it was simply “trying to educate most of them, trying…”

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