Bias Measure: The Epoch Times
Overview
The Epoch Times is a multi-language international newspaper and digital media company founded in 2000 by John Tang and other Chinese-American practitioners of Falun Gong. Headquartered in New York City, it publishes in 21 languages across 33 countries.
Falun Gong Connection
- Founded by practitioners of Falun Gong (also spelled Falun Dafa), a Chinese spiritual movement combining meditation, qigong exercises, and moral philosophy
- Falun Gong has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since 1999; the Epoch Times was created partly to expose those human rights abuses
- The outlet operates under the Epoch Media Group alongside New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD)
- Financial ties between Falun Gong organizations and the Epoch Times have been documented by NBC News and the New York Times
- The Epoch Times officially denies being a Falun Gong organ, stating editorial decisions are made independently
History
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Founded in New York by John Tang and Falun Gong-affiliated Chinese expatriates |
| 2004 | Published “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” critical of the CCP |
| 2016-2020 | Expanded into English-language conservative media; became one of the largest pro-Trump media spenders on Facebook |
| 2020 | Banned from Facebook advertising after violating political ad policies |
| 2021 | Shifted to subscription model; continued growth in digital reach |
| 2023 | CFO Weidong “Bill” Guan indicted for money laundering ($67M scheme) |
| 2024 | Guan convicted; organization faced financial scrutiny |
Editorial Lean
- AllSides: Lean Right
- Media Bias/Fact Check: Right-Center Bias
- Ad Fontes Media: Hyper-partisan Right on some content
- Consistently anti-CCP, anti-communist framing
- Strong editorial support for Trump and conservative politics (2016-present)
- Has published content promoting QAnon narratives, anti-vaccine claims, and 2020 election fraud theories
- Domestic U.S. coverage skews heavily conservative; China coverage is uniformly anti-CCP
Bias Assessment Factors
- Organizational motivation: Founded explicitly to counter CCP narratives — structural bias on any China-related reporting
- Political alignment: Heavy investment in pro-Trump content and conservative U.S. politics since 2016
- Financial opacity: Funding sources tied to Falun Gong religious movement; CFO convicted of money laundering
- Disinformation track record: Has amplified conspiracy theories (QAnon, election fraud, anti-vax)
- Influence operation potential: Massive Facebook ad spending and aggressive digital distribution suggest coordinated influence objectives beyond standard journalism
Consumption Guidance
- China/CCP reporting: assume anti-CCP framing; cross-reference with Reuters, AP, or SCMP
- U.S. political reporting: assume conservative editorial lean; verify claims independently
- Health/science reporting: high risk of misinformation; do not cite without independent verification