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 China Global Television Network (CGTN) news Questionable based on the promotion of pro-state propaganda and heavy censorship.

Detailed Report

Factual Reporting: MIXED

Country: China

World Press Freedom Rank: China 177/180

History

China Global Television Network (CGTN) is China’s new international media organization, which was launched by the national broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on December 31, 2016 and its headquarters are in Beijing.

China Global Television Network (CGTN) provides coverage of public and government affairs, world news, politics, business tech & sci culture & sports, opinions, and more.

According to their about page they describe their mission as “Our mission is to create a better understanding of international events across the world, bridging continents and bringing a more balanced view to global news reporting. Ultimately, we believe facts should speak for themselves and are committed to neutral, objective reporting.”

View our report on Chinese government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

CGTN is owned and operated by China Central Television (CCTV). The website does not have advertising and is funded by the Chinese government.

Analysis / Bias

Reporters without Borders has reported China as the “World’s leading prison for citizen journalists” According to reporters without borders 2019 report, China ranks 177 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, which equates to almost zero press freedom.

According to Foreign Policy, CGTN is a part of a global $6.6 billion media expansion campaign involving TV, radio, and newspapers that started in 2009 during the presidency of Hu Jintao, Xi’s predecessor. The purpose of this is to serve as a global mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party.

In review, China Global Television Network (CGTN) uses a neutral tone when reporting national political news such as “Yizhuang will host Beijing’s first test road for self-driving vehicles.” They typically utilize factually mixed sources such as Xinhua News Agency and further, when reporting world and USA news China Global Television Network (CGTN) utilizes minimally loaded words in their articles and they do present low biased coverage of USA news through the use of credible sources such as AFP, and Reuters. However, this does not mean they are without bias. Most articles pertaining to 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, but it is the consistent bias by omission that makes CGTN a factually Mixed and propaganda source.

Failed Fact Checks

Overall, we rate China Global Television Network (CGTN) news Questionable based on the promotion of pro-state propaganda and heavy censorship. (M. Huitsing 1/6/2018) Updated (7/31/2020)

Source: https://america.cgtn.com/