CGTN America


CGTN America is the American version of CGTN. CGTN is the collection of international language news channels run by China Media Group. It is based in Washington, D.C. and manages bureaus across North and South America. The service employs a mix of American, international and Chinese journalists and produces Americas-based programming with a focus on Asia for CGTN. It maintains a separate schedule of programs each day from noon to 7 p.m. MST, and like its African counterpart, it simulcasts CGTN International at all other times. CGTN America is led by director general Ma Jing with veteran Asia journalist Jim Laurie as executive consultant. It began broadcasting on February 6, 2012, replacing the former English language CCTV 9 in the region.
CGTN America has registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act on February 1, 2019.

Production team

Anchoring team

US
News and Documentary Emmy® Awards
YearProgramCategory
2016Outstanding Feature in a News Magazine

2016 New York Festivals International TV & Film Awards
MedalProgramCategorySub-category
GoldTelevision - News: Reports/FeaturesHuman Interest
SilverTelevision - Craft: ProgramBest Camerawork
SilverTelevision - Documentary/Information ProgramHuman Concerns
SilverTelevision - News: Reports/FeaturesHeroes
BronzeTelevision - Documentary/Information ProgramHeroes
BronzeTelevision - Documentary/Information ProgramThe Arts

2015 New York Festivals International TV & Film Awards
MedalProgram/TalentCategory
GoldBest Coverage of a Continuing News Story
BronzeAnand NaidooBest News Anchor
BronzeBest Coverage of a Continuing News Story

Programs

During President Xi Jinping's tour of state media outlets in February 2016, he emphasized that they must “speak for the Party,” and, further, that they must expand their influence abroad in order to “tell China’s story to the world.” The Guardian's Louisa Lim and Julia Bergin wrote that while the " Communist Party has always maintained a tight grip over domestic media, their strategy has shifted in recent years to spread that control globally", by "exerting their influence on media abroad, through a multifaceted approach that includes offering generous salary packages to recruit talented journalists away from local media in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere; buying advertising supplements in mainstream foreign publications; buying foreign media companies outright; and making deals with local broadcasters in Africa and elsewhere to spread their content in local markets". One result of the Chinese Communist Party's international media strategy has been the elimination of the independent Chinese-language media outlets in the United States, "through a mix of co-option and aggressive expansion of its own competitors". Alongside their international media strategy, the Chinese Communist Party has also stepped up the use of "Pro-Beijing trolls -- the so-called 50-cent army, named for the price they are supposedly paid for each post" plus the "state-backed media and botnets have been employed to pump out huge quantities of disinformation and misinformation" on social media platforms like Twitter.
CGTN initially claimed that it had “editorial independence from any state direction or control”. This was debunked by New York Times reporter Paul Mozur in interviews with "current and former CGTN employees say CCTV editors in Beijing often dictated plans for covering China. American employees sometimes pushed back, they said, and Ms. Ma allowed some flexibility when Beijing’s orders didn’t specifically forbid or dictate content. But three people interviewed said they had little choice but to air propaganda clips when Beijing said so". CGTN employees were disciplined when a news report mentioned Falun Gong, the religious group labeled as a cult and banned by the PRC. The flag of Taiwan, the self-governing island that is claimed by PRC, is banned from broadcasts. In November 2018, amid growing international criticism of China's imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uyghurs in re-education camps, CGTN America aired a piece portraying the camps as successful vocational training and antiterrorism centers and Uyghurs as grateful. In addition, CGTN America has broadcast "exclusive" forced confessions of people accused of a wide variety of crimes in China, most notably the example of a Briton, Peter Humphrey. In addition, some CGTN journalists "recall being asked to cross a sometimes blurred line between news reporting and intelligence gathering as they were asked to report on high-level government meetings". International observers noted that while RT aims to divide its audience with controversial content, the "aim is to influence public opinion overseas in order to nudge foreign governments into making policies favourable towards China’s Communist party" through more subtle means.
The United States Department of State characterised "CGTN America’s relationship with a foreign government and a foreign political party as one of interest to Washington". The United States Department of Justice was concerned about an "expanding influence campaign being waged by Beijing through the global arms of state media outlets" like CGTN and Xinhua News Agency. In putting pressure upon Xinhua and CGTN, a senior US official noted that US grievances towards the lack of reciprocity from Beijing on trade and media access as many American and international news outlets are blocked in China. CGTN America has registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act on February 1, 2019, on the orders of the Justice Department. While this permits them to continue operating in the United States, they are required to disclose information about their annual budget and ownership structure, while also including disclaimers on broadcasts, published materials and social media identifying themselves as registered foreign agents. After registering with the FARA, CGTN America director general Ma Jing and a dozen other staffers were recalled to Beijing.