How China manipulates Czech media

The Diplomat reports on how China influences media in the Czech Republic and other CEE countries into publishing Chinese propaganda. China’s tactics include publishing Op Eds, buying media outlets, or buying coverage. Excerpt below:

A prime example of the China’s strategy to dominate the discourse in European media has been its attempts to change the narrative on Hong Kong’s ongoing protests.

In the Czech Republic, PRC Ambassador Zhang Jianmin wrote an op-ed critical of the Hong Kong protests and mentioning foreign influence behind the scenes; the piece was published in Parlamentní listy, an alternative, yet widely read news server

In connection with the 70th anniversary of establishing bilateral diplomatic relations, the Chinese embassy produced an eight-page supplement to the local nation-wide daily Právo. The section was obscurely labeled as a “theme and commercial supplement.” The articles were exclusively positive on China and were signed by the daily’s reporters, easily misleading readers into believing that the supplement was the usual reporting by the media.

Credit: The Diplomat