Want to learn the ABC of toeing the Party line?

                                                   Australian Broadcasting Corporation

(ABC) Australian Broadcasting Corporation has recently demonstrated effectively how it is toeing the line of the (CCP) Chinese Communist Party.

But first, you have to get an idea of the insidious nature of the Chinese Communist Party.

Many countries try to spread influence abroad through soft power, government media or propaganda, lobbying, and even intelligence operations. The U.S. government and Russia do engage in such activities. But nobody can beat the CCP’s United Front effort which is more organized, more expansive and more insidious than any government or nation.

The CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD) operates both inside and outside China towards mobilizing the party’s friends to strike at the party’s enemies. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, United Front work has brought covert CCP influence operations to bear inside foreign political parties, diaspora communities, colleges, and corporations, all with the goal of promoting the party’s interests by co-opting local organizations.

Wealthy members of the overseas United Front contribute by throwing money at foreign institutions that are willing to toe Beijing’s political line including media organizations. Confucius Institutes on dozens of U.S. campuses have “longstanding and formal ties” with the United Front Work Department.

The Communist party spends 10 billion dollars annually to buy good press in foreign countries. Given China’s global ambitions, Xi Jinping wants to make foreign media complicit in his agenda.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) engages in a variety of tactics to influence Western media, including a deliberate campaign accelerated in 2017 to mobilize foreign media to mimic the Party’s tone and talking points on Falun Gong.

ABC’s recent program is a glaring example of sacrificing ethics at the altar of monetary gains

This program is flagrantly in breach of the ABC’s Editorial Standards and Code of Practice (as set out in the ABC Editorial Policies or Code of Practice). ABC chose to air the “The Power of Falun Gong” report, which smears Falun Gong, on July 21, a day after the anniversary of the persecution which started 21 years ago on 20 July 1999. The decision on the timing of when to air the program alone betrays a complete lack of sensitivity on the part of ABC to the victims of persecution in China and the Falun Gong community in Australia.

For 21 years, the CCP has dreamed of having a mainstream Western media report smear Falun Gong along the lines of its own defamatory propaganda. Their dream was finally realized with a little help from a friend ABC.

A quick glance at the disparaging content of the programs

The programs are slanderous in nature and filled with demonizing falsehoods about Falun Gong that have been refuted by academics and human rights groups.

These falsehoods echo Chinese Communist Party propaganda against Falun Gong, which has fueled brutal persecution in China for more than two decades and resulted in millions detained, imprisoned, tortured, or killed for their faith.

It is obvious that in collusion with ABC, state-run outlets in China are promoting and gloating over the ABC report, furthering the hatred and discrimination that drives this persecution.

Appeals to ABC to review and stop the programs fell on deaf ears

The Falun Dafa Association of Australia requested that the ABC immediately withdraw all current and future publications, promotions, and broadcasts of these programs.

It was pointed out that ABC’s Code of Practice states that the broadcaster must never “gratuitously harm or offend,” and should “avoid the unjustified use of stereotypes or discriminatory content that could reasonably be interpreted as condoning or encouraging prejudice.”

Attention was also drawn to the fact that according to its own standards, ABC has an obligation to mitigate such risks by taking care with how content is expressed and presented. A first step would be to discuss these concerns with representatives from the faith community that will be most harmed by the reporting. There was also a request for an urgent meeting with ABC producers and executives before the documentary is aired, which would have given an opportunity to articulate concerns and have them taken into consideration by the ABC.

Sadly, there was no constructive or conciliatory response.

A sane voice of reason gives his objective views on the ABC reports:

Will ABC and the Australian government ever make amends?

ABC is Australia’s national broadcaster, mostly funded by the government. This adds weight to its disparaging programs, promoting hatred in Australia.

Many Chinese may even believe this report represents the Australian government’s attitude towards Falun Gong, an inaccurate perception but one likely to further legitimize the CCP’s propaganda demonizing Falun Gong in their minds.

Some practitioners in Australia have already experienced an increase in hate speech and even attacks when doing their exercises or public activities after this ABC program. ABC bears a moral responsibility for the grave repercussions to practitioners due to these broadcasts.

Such irresponsible broadcast is definitely a slur on ABC and the Australian government.

The damage done is huge and the scars will not easily heal.

Suren Rao An Advertising professional writes blogs on various topics ranging from health and spirituality to technology and sport