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A question for the Chinese speakers on my flist
Have any of you ever heard of The Epoch Times before? Until today, I hadn't, but was directed to an archeology story for the Science Digest by my regular archeology contributor, who sends me stories from publications from all over the world, including online publications in Canada, England, Ireland, Egypt, Australia, and the Philippines. It really broadens my knowledge of English-language journalism, as I check out every new source when I open up her links. So, when I read this story, I decided to go digging around.

Here's the publication's "about us" page.

The Epoch Times: "A Fresh Look at Our Changing World"

Our Mission

The Epoch Times is an independent voice in print and on the web. We report news responsibly and truthfully so that readers can improve their own lives and increase their understanding and respect for their neighbors next door and around the globe. In our approach and in our content, we uphold universal human values, rights, and freedoms. We are a business that puts our readers' interests first, in all that we do.

Who We Are

The Epoch Times is a privately held news media company. The center is in New York, but our network of local reporters throughout the world uncovers stories that are authentically local, yet also globally relevant. Our independence enables us to report widely and present a diversity of opinions.

Our Purpose

During a time when the world is changing ever more quickly, people need reliable information to understand events and trends. We strive to make a positive impact on people's lives by helping all people understand the world and themselves, and to respect and appreciate each other. We report stories and air opinions unavailable elsewhere.

A special strength of the Epoch Times is our coverage of China. Today the world is increasingly looking to China, as this troubled giant goes through tremendous changes. Business and political leaders, and also world citizens, want to understand better what is happening there. We are able to provide well-sourced stories that no one else has through the original reporting done by the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times.

Our Values

A human being's fundamental right is the right to be heard. We uphold and defend freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. We are also strong advocates for freedom of belief, and for all human rights, for all people.

We seek to speak out for those who are oppressed, and cannot speak for themselves. We speak to those in conflict, trying to show the common humanity they share, and the compassion that will help them truly respect the rights of others.

We work to tell the stories of daily life in our age, not on the basis of what is sensational at the moment, but instead in terms of what will be of lasting significance. We take the long view of humanity's history and future.

Our History

The English edition of The Epoch Times launched in September 2003 on the web, and in August 2004 as a newspaper in New York. It meets a growing need for news reported and published independently, uncovering stories that have depth and meaning to people. In English, as well as in other languages, it serves a broad, international readership.

The Chinese-language Epoch Times started publishing in response to the growing need for uncensored coverage of events in China. The first newspaper was published in New York in May 2000, with the web launch in August 2000. Local editions published by regional bureaus soon followed, making it the largest of any Chinese-language newspaper outside of Mainland China and Taiwan.

Our Reach

We have offices in 30 countries across five continents, and our content is published in 17 languages. We are proud to offer print and web editions in Chinese, English, German, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Indonesian, as well as web versions in Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Vietnamese and Swedish.

The Epoch Times will continue to expand news coverage and newspaper distribution in more regions, and with editions in more languages. We are optimistic about the future. Watch us grow!

If you wish to read the editions in languages other than English, click here. Here is what it says about the Chinese Language editions of "Epoch Times."

The oldest of the Epoch Times editions, the Chinese paper has been in operation from August 2000, when it was launched as both a website and in a print edition in New York. The Chinese Epoch Times (Dajiyuan) is now the single largest Chinese language newspaper in the world, covering 29 countries across North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

The Chinese-language edition can be read here.

When I read all of the above, I immediately became suspicious. Anything that grows that quickly and quietly and has the kind of mission statement that this organization does is most likely funded by a religious organization. Sure enough, when I went to Wikipedia, its article on the paper mentioned that Epoch Times "was founded by practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, in response to what is regarded by human rights groups as nationwide persecution of Falun Gong by the government of the People's Republic of China." My suspicions were justified, but at least I now know the editorial slant. Honestly, it could have been worse--it could have been the Moonies or the Scientologists, or some other group that would be interested in converting me. Falun Gong might want my sympathies and my eyeballs reading their publication, but I doubt they're terribly interested in my soul. That said, I'm still interested in the opinions of the rest of you.