The Epoch Times is a far-right international newspaper and media company affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement. It is based in New York City and operates websites in 35 countries, but it is blocked in mainland China.
The Epoch Times opposes the Chinese Communist Party, promotes far-right politicians in Europe, and championed former President Donald Trump in the U.S. It is a large funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising and frequently promotes other Falun Gong-affiliated groups. The Epoch Media Group’s news sites and YouTube channels have spread misinformation such as QAnon, anti-vaccine misinformation, and false claims of fraud in the 2020 United States presidential election.
It was founded in 2000 by John Tang and other Chinese Americans affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement. They wanted to respond to censorship inside China and a lack of understanding about the Chinese government’s repression of Falun Gong.
The Epoch Times website and newspapers had grown to be one of the largest Chinese-language news sites and newspaper groups outside China by 2003. It was available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and major Western European countries. An English edition was launched online in September 2003 and a print edition followed in 2004.
It is a major step in the evolution of Falun Gong-related alternative media. It is strongly influenced by Falun Gong and portrays itself as neutral, independent, and public-interest oriented. It also emphasizes negative portrayals of the Chinese government and positive portrayals of Falun Gong.
In 2005, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on three U.S.-based Chinese-language media outlets with ties to the Falun Gong spiritual movement that provides reporting on Communist Party and government oppression in China. When interviewed, executives at each outlet denied representing the Falun Gong movement as a whole.
Nahal Toosi wrote in 2006 that while many of The Epoch Times’ staffers are Falun Gong practitioners, it is not technically accurate to say that Falun Gong owns the paper. She noted that observers have said Falun Gong uses the newspaper for its public relations campaigns, and the paper is connected with the group and carries sympathetic coverage of it. Stephen Gregory has denied that The Epoch Times is connected to Falun Gong. However, independent reporters in the U.S. have confirmed the connection.
In 2008, David Ownby said The Epoch Times was set up by Falun Gong practitioners with their own money. He described the newspaper as wanting to be taken seriously as a global newspaper, focusing on issues of human rights around the world and particularly in China and Falun Gong. Clement Tong, a Canadian scholar, wrote that The Epoch Times is a mouthpiece for Falun Gong without an official statement of affiliation.
In 2009, Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, visited The Epoch Times headquarters in Manhattan and asked for it to become regular media. He has called The Epoch Times “our media”. Two former employees said that top editors had a meeting with Li at Falun Gong’s compound, though The Epoch Times denied it.
Former Epoch Times employees have noted that Falun Gong practitioners are involved in the management and editorial process. Ex-employees reported being encouraged to attend weekly “Fa study” sessions outside of work hours to learn the teachings of Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong. Criticizing The Epoch Times is seen as disobeying Li’s teachings.
The Epoch Times is known for running promotional stories about the related Shen Yun dance troupe, and is considered by The New Yorker as “the world’s foremost purveyor of Shen Yun content”. According to the Hoover Institution, it and Vision Times are the only independent Chinese-language media outlets in the United States that are supported by Falun Gong followers.
In 2019, Reporters Without Borders reported that the US had few truly independent diaspora media, apart from The Epoch Times newspaper and New Tang Dynasty Television, which are run by Falun Gong. In 2020, Vox identified China Uncensored and NTD as affiliates of The Epoch Times, as part of a multilingual “media empire”.
The Epoch Times is a loosely organized group of regional tax-free nonprofits, under the umbrella of the Epoch Media Group, together with New Tang Dynasty Television. Little is known about its precise ownership, origins, or influences.
The newspaper’s revenue has significantly increased in recent years. Between 2012 and 2016, the group received $900,000 from a principal at Renaissance Technologies. Chris Kitze, a former NBC executive and creator of the fake news website Before It’s News, joined the paper’s board as vice president in 2017.
The Epoch Times’ wealth is mysterious. Former employees say that it is funded by subscriptions, ads, and donations from Falun Gong practitioners. Steve Bannon said that the organization had enough money to fund his projects.
The Epoch Times newspaper won several journalism awards in 2014, which showed that the newspaper was moving towards becoming a respected news outlet. However, in 2015 and 2016, the focus shifted to creating viral content and supporting President Trump.