The Epoch Times: Xinhua News Ignores Big Stories and Repeats Old Lies

The Epoch Times

Xinhua News Agency, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese government, is treating two news stories differently in its TV program, and this has drawn a lot attention from viewers outside of China.

The first story is on the death of China's former Premier, Zhao Ziyang on January 17. For this, Xinhua News Agency only published a single sentence of 67 words on the last page of the next day's People's Daily. From Zhao's death up to now, among China's state media, from central to local, only a few repeated the standard announcement. China's state-run China Central Television, which has the most influence, did not even pick up this news.

Meanwhile, Xinhua News Agency started a new round of propaganda about the so-called, "Tiananmen Self-immolation," which happened four years ago on January 23, 2001.

Xinhua purposely passed over the most important news, but put great effort into an incident that happened four years ago that has been demonstrated to have been staged by the Jiang regime. But many people have already experienced Xinhua News Agency's unique programming decisions. In Mainland China, many people say that only the date of the news is true in Xinhua News Agency's paper--all the rest is fake.

Former President Zhao Ziyang devoted himself to China's reform and modernization and made important contributions to reform in the countryside. Because of his opposition to military action during the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life.

After Zhao's death, while the Chinese government and its media kept the news on a low profile or chose to ignore it entirely, Chinese people all around the world, including Mainland China, held memorial ceremonies for Zhao. Foreign media and western governments spoke highly of Zhao. Many overseas Chinese organizations held activities to mourn Zhao Ziyang and denounce the CCP.

Regarding Xinhua News Agency's new round of propaganda, Falun Gong's website Minghui Net published an editorial entitled, "Witnessing the Hypocrisy of Xinhua News Agency: Major News Ignored - Old Lies Reemerge." The article said, "Xinhua News Agency tried its best to cover up important news like Zhao's death and several recent self-immolation cases by angry people against the government in Beijing. But Xinhua News Agency tried its best to defame Falun Gong by airing fake news directed by the CCP government over four years ago. It is obvious that Xinhua News Agency is not a news media, but a dictator's political tool. Deceiving and misleading the public is its only purpose."

According to a Minghui report, overseas NTDTV produced a video named False Fire, based on analysis by the independent organization, International Educational Development, of CCTV's "Tiananmen Self-immolation" tape. The video won an award at the 51st Columbus International Film and Video Festival.

Many overseas Chinese are commenting on the Xinhua News Agency's behavior. At the time of Zhao's death, the CCP's media picked up an old, fabricated story on the self-immolation to again defame Falun Gong, while its real purpose is to use the Falun Gong issue to divert people's attention from Zhao Ziyang's death in captivity.

Source http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-1-22/25937.html