The US Department of Justice has reportedly ordered two Chinese news organizations to register as foreign agents amid an escalating trade conflict that has seen the two countries’ relations deteriorate sharply.
Should they comply with the order, Xinhua News Agency and China Global Television Network (CGTN), formerly CCTV, will follow Russia’s RT, which registered last year to avoid prosecution.
The renewed enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, is part of US government efforts to combat foreign influence campaigns and alleged election interference.
A group of senators, including Marco Rubio and Patrick Leahy, have been lobbying the Justice Department to increase scrutiny of Chinese media organizations, arguing in a letter last January that Xinhua and CGTN fall under the scope of FARA.
Citing a National Endowment for Democracy report, the senators wrote: “both China and Russia exploit a ‘glaring asymmetry’: a lack of reciprocity caused by raising ‘barriers to external political and cultural influence at home while simultaneously taking advantage of the openness of democratic systems abroad.’”
Under FARA, which was passed in 1938 to combat NAZI influence, entities that fail to register and submit reports to the Justice Department regarding activities, can be subject to criminal prosecution.
It goes both way. Foreign medias therefore should not complaint if the same is enforced in China or in any other country.
Here goes CNN
Lee Malabanan CNN is fine, it should be VoA Voice of America & Fox News
THIS IS NOTHING BUT CENSORSHIP AND PROPAGANDA! THE US IS BLOCKING FREE SPEECH FROM ANY ENTITY INCLUDING FROM WITHIN THE US THAT DISAGREES WITH THE ZIONIST NEOCON AGENDA. THEY HAVE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER DOING THEIR DIRTY WORK BY BARRING ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCES THE U S IS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE SOVIETS UNION WAS FOR CENSORSHIP.
It is already enforced in China. Try publishing an unflattering report on the CCP in China and you will get more than your typing fingers hammered.
Well Xinhua News Agency and China Global Television Network (CGTN) are propaganda agents for a fascist regime !!
Low Shen-Cheang surely that did not get you 50 cents