The Xinhua article reiterated that accusation, but went into more detail.

It said Mr. Dahlin admitted to writing reports without “real or full facts.” It also said that the lawyer and activists trained by the group “got involved in hot-topic issues and sensitive cases, and intentionally escalated conflicts and disputes that were originally not severe.”

“It instigated the people to confront the government and produce mass incidents,” the article said.

The official report also accused Mr. Dahlin of taking almost half of about $1.6 million of financial support the group had received from outside sources in recent years.

Mr. Caster, a spokesman for Mr. Dahlin’s group, released a statement on Wednesday morning condemning Xinhua for publishing an “apparent forced confession.” It said the accusations against Mr. Dahlin were “baseless.”

Mr. Dahlin and his group appeared to have been caught up in the Chinese government’s crackdown on human rights lawyers, a campaign centered on putting pressure on the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm. Xinhua said Mr. Dahlin’s partner, Wang Quanzhang, was a member of that firm.