What is the Epoch Times and who's behind it?
The small New York-based nonprofit news outlet has spent more than $1.5 million on about 11,000 pro-Trump advertisements in the last six months,
nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
The small New York-based nonprofit news outlet has spent more than $1.5 million on about 11,000 pro-Trump advertisements in the last six months,
nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
according to data from Facebook’s advertising archive — more than any organization outside of the Trump campaign itself, and more than most Democratic presidential candidates have spent on their own campaigns.
The Epoch Times looks like many of the conservative outlets that have
The Epoch Times looks like many of the conservative outlets that have
gained followings in recent years.
But it isn’t.
Behind the scenes, the media outlet’s ownership and operation is closely tied to Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual community with the stated goal of taking down China’s government.
But it isn’t.
Behind the scenes, the media outlet’s ownership and operation is closely tied to Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual community with the stated goal of taking down China’s government.
Former practitioners of Falun Gong told NBC News that believers think the world is headed toward a judgment day, where those labeled “communists” will be sent to a kind of hell, and those sympathetic to the spiritual comm will be spared.
A North Carolina real-estate agent who says his Facebook account was hacked years ago was surprised to learn this week that a page he previously used to market local listings was now being administered by a popular conservative media company with ties to Chinese dissident groups.
Epoch Times Advertiser Deletes Facebook Page After Hacking Inquiries
It’s not clear how the page ended up in the possession of The Epoch Times, an increasingly popular conservative news source in the U.S.
thedailybeast.com/epoch-times-ad…
It’s not clear how the page ended up in the possession of The Epoch Times, an increasingly popular conservative news source in the U.S.
thedailybeast.com/epoch-times-ad…
Started almost two decades ago as a free newspaper and website with a stated mission to “provide information to Chinese communities to help immigrants assimilate into American society,” The Epoch Times now wields one of the biggest social media followings of any news outlet.
The Epoch Times and digital video outlet New Tang Dynasty, or NTD, combined for around 3 billion views on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, ranking 11th among all video creators across platforms and outranking every other traditional news publisher.
That engagement has made
That engagement has made
The Epoch Times a favorite of the Trump family and a key component of the president’s re-election campaign
Despite its growing reach and power, little is publicly known about the precise ownership, origins or influences of The Epoch Times.
mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-time…
Despite its growing reach and power, little is publicly known about the precise ownership, origins or influences of The Epoch Times.
mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-epoch-time…
#IRS
The outlet’s opacity makes it difficult to determine an overall structure, but it is loosely organized into several regional tax-free nonprofits. It operates alongside the video production company, NTD, under the umbrella of The Epoch Media Group, a private news and
The outlet’s opacity makes it difficult to determine an overall structure, but it is loosely organized into several regional tax-free nonprofits. It operates alongside the video production company, NTD, under the umbrella of The Epoch Media Group, a private news and
entertainment company whose owner executives have declined to name, citing concerns of "pressure" that could follow.
epochmediagroup.com/brand.html
epochmediagroup.com/brand.html
In 2009, the founder and leader of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi, came to speak at The Epoch Times’ offices in Manhattan. Li came with a clear directive for the Falun Gong volunteers who comprised the company’s staff: “Become regular media.”
falundafa.org/book/eng/lectu…
falundafa.org/book/eng/lectu…
The publication had been founded nine years earlier in Georgia by John Tang, a Chinese American practitioner of Falun Gong and current president of New Tang Dynasty.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tang_…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tang_…
Li’s teachings quickly built a significant following — and ran into tension with China’s leaders, who viewed his popularity as a threat to the communist government’s hold on power.
Li has some pretty fuqqed up beliefs:
content.time.com/time/world/art…
Li has some pretty fuqqed up beliefs:
content.time.com/time/world/art…
Among them, Li has railed against what he called the wickedness of homosexuality, feminism and popular music while holding that he is a god-like figure who can levitate and walk through walls.
But of course the Trumps lurve him big time!
Li has also taught that sickness is a
But of course the Trumps lurve him big time!
Li has also taught that sickness is a
symptom of evil that can only be truly cured with meditation and devotion, and that aliens from undiscovered dimensions have invaded the minds and bodies of humans, bringing corruption and inventions such as computers and airplanes.
Sounds like Scientology a little, no?
Sounds like Scientology a little, no?
The Epoch Times provided Li with an English-language way to push back against China
So again, we have foreign interference in the 2020 election. I'm guessing China will be a giant horseshoe of interference.
@threadreaderapp unroll please
So again, we have foreign interference in the 2020 election. I'm guessing China will be a giant horseshoe of interference.
@threadreaderapp unroll please
@threadreaderapp Another dive about Falun Gong and the Epoch Times
https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1163850808095641600?s=20
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