An independent analyst revealed that China’s propaganda outlet China Daily paid millions to prominent US newspapers and magazines in the last six months to buy media influence.

The analyst who cited documents filed with the US Justice Department, said that the state-run English-language newspaper China Daily paid several hundred thousand dollars to prominent American publications like Time magazine and Foreign Policy magazine in a span of six-months.

Amount paid to influence global narrative

As many as $700,000 was paid to Time magazine; $371,577 to the Financial Times; $291,000 to Foreign Policy magazine; $272,000 to Los Angeles Times; and over $1 million to others.

Last month, the Daily Caller had reported China Daily, paid more than $4.6 million to The Washington Post and nearly $6 million to The Wall Street Journal since November 2016.

Both newspapers reportedly published paid supplements that China Daily produces called "China Watch."

Amount paid to for advertisement

Controlled by Chinese Communist Party, China Daily has also been paying these publications for advertising. This includes paying The New York Times $50,000, Foreign Policy $240,000, The Des Moines Register $34,600 and CQ-Roll Call $76,000.

It spent a total of $11,002,628 on advertising in US newspapers, and another $265,822 on advertising with Twitter despite the microblogging site being banned in China itself.

The revelations were made after the China Daily submitted its first detailed breakdown of payments to American news outlets in its recent June 01 filings. The Justice Department had allegedly for years required China Daily to disclose its activities semi-annually under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

This came at a time when China is trying to divert blame for the spread of the virus to the United States and other Western nations. Many of the regime-controlled outlets, including China Daily, have echoed the communist leaders' talking points.

Image Source: ANI