China Attacks The Epoch Times Headquarters

You may not be familiar with the Epoch Times.  That is because their approach to journalism is inconsistent with the one-sided left-wing propaganda narratives put out by the cabal of elitist east coast news outlets.  The Epoch Times is one of those news sources that is targeted by the communication industry’s cancel culture – from the mainstream press to the social media giants.

You may be surprised to know that the Epoch Times is a giant media service that has been around for decades. It is published in 22 languages in 36 different countries.  In addition to the newspaper, they have online editions and broadcast platforms.  The Chinese editions of the Epoch Times are among the largest Chinese language publications in the world.

The publication gained credibility with the Chinese public for its accurate reporting on the 2003 SARS epidemic in China. It provided life-saving accurate information in conflict with the Communist propaganda at the time.

One of the Chinese editions of the Times has been a primary source of news in Hong Kong for years. 

They have been a favorite of the democracy movement in China’s island province.  As a result, the Epoch Times has been the target of Communist harassment, vandalism and prosecution on an ongoing basis.

Throughout its existence in Hong Kong, employees of the news service have been harassed, intimidated, arrested, jailed and tortured.  In one case, the family living in mainland China were threatened as a means of putting pressure on a Times television hostess.  Some staff has been arrested under the new National Security Law recently imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing.

When a major retail chain contracted to have the Epoch Times on the stands in more than 500 of its locations, the Chinese Communist Party forced the cancellation of the agreement.  Copies of the publication are routinely stolen from distribution locations.

Because of their independent reporting, the Epoch Times has been the victim of constant attacks from the Communist Party – and the masked thugs it hired.  The headquarters and printing facilities of the Times suffered major attacks in 2000, 2006 and 2012.

But none of those compared to what happened on Monday, April 12, 2021. 

Four thugs broke into the headquarters of the news outlet. They intimidated employees and used sledgehammers and other devices to destroy presses, computers and other equipment. This essentially put the newspaper out of business for the time being.  The owners and managers of the Times have promised to have their news service in Hong Kong back in operation in a matter of weeks.

Police claim the attack was the result of the Epoch Times not paying past debts.  That was the official Communist version.  There were never any outstanding obligations on the part of the Times. There is also no evidence of any collection efforts. And even if there were outstanding debts, such gross vandalism is not a normal collection procedure.

The media is silent

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the harassment of the Epoch Times – and the attack on April 12 – has been the silence of the Big Seven left-wing news outlets (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, New York Times and Washington Post) — as well as the rest of the elitist so-called news platforms.

Where is CNN’s so-called media reporter, Brian Stelter, or the station’s John Avlon, with his misnamed “Reality Check” segments?  Nothing from MSNBC?  No stories in the New York Times or Washington Post?  No defense of journalism?

And what about President Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken?  Where is the official condemnation of the Communist regime in this case?  Nothing.  Crickets.

While anything involving the Epoch Times is being cancelled in America’s corrupt and dishonest left-wing media and political culture, the freedom-loving people of Hong Kong are thankful that at least one voice in support of the democratic movement – a movement being crushed by Chinese President Xi Jinping – is still telling the truth about the situation in Hong Kong.  One democracy activist described the Epoch Times as the “only hope for the future of Hong Kong.”

What happened to the Epoch Times a few days ago is a BIG story. But the refusal of the left-wing media and the Biden administration to acknowledge and deal with it is an even BIGGER story.

So, there ‘tis.