On April 8, the website of Harvard University's Nieman Journalism Lab (Niemanlab.org) published an article by Joshua Benton, the founder and senior writer of the laboratory. The article points out that The Epoch Times, a subsidiary of the "Falungong" cult, has repeatedly been named and criticized by other mainstream media in the United States for its false news reports. Joshua Benton made a bitter irony about it. The China Anti-Cult Network is compiled as follows.
Screenshot of the report
Falun Gong's Epoch Times, a pro-Trump, anti-Communist newspaper dedicated to conspiracy theories, is considering opening a journalism school.
"The Epoch Times is considering establishing a new journalism school that will champion the same 'tradition and truth' values as The Epoch Times. The newspaper wrote in an email sent to subscribers this morning. "The Academy's mission is to develop a new generation of media professionals with the highest standards of personal integrity, fairness, and truth-seeking. ”
The email links to an online survey designed to gauge subscribers' interest in the school. The survey included proposed four-year programs (Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Bachelor of Science in Journalism for TV/Video Production, Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Marketing), two-year (Associate of Journalism, TV/Video Production, and Digital Media Marketing) programs, and non-degree certificate programs.
The proposed school would be "located in a scenic town of about 30,000 people in New York State, just 1.5 hours from New York City, easily accessible by train or bus." It is worth noting that the "Longquan Temple," the world headquarters of the "Falungong" cult, is located in Deerpark, New York, about 1 hour and 26 minutes by car from the northernmost part of the Bronx (New York City's 1st District).
The Epoch Times appears to see the school as a training ground for its staff, saying it and NTDTV "will be pleased to provide jobs and internships for high-quality students."
The Epoch Times' free newspaper box on the streets abroad. The original article is illustrated
In the United States, anyone can start a journalism school, but the difficulty is how to get accredited. The accrediting body for journalism programs is the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), which is voluntary and not all journalism schools seek accreditation. More importantly, though, a general accreditation of an institution allows a student's credits to be counted by other institutions and to a great extent distinguishes your diploma from those of the "pheasant diploma factory". Most colleges in New York State are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Needless to say, a four-year university that only offers journalism courses can have a hard time convincing accrediting bodies that it is the right place to host higher education.
As for why the so-called "Epoch Times" is a bad idea, one need only read any of the many articles in the mainstream media about The Epoch Times "news literacy" and you can draw your own conclusions.
This article was written by Joshua Benton
According to the China Anti-Cult Network, the author of this article, Joshua Benton, is the founder of the Nieman Lab and served as the director of the real risk office until 2020. He has been in journalism since the '90s, working for the Dallas Morning News, winning the Philip Meyer Journalism Award and being a three-time finalist for the Livingston International Reporting Award.
Joshua Benton's April 8 article links to a large number of news reports or investigative reports criticizing "Falungong" by the international mainstream media, including the New York <大纪元时报>Times's "From Anti-China Tabloid to Right-Wing Influence Machine" and NBC's "Conspiracy Theory Driven<大纪元时报>." How to Enter the Mainstream and Make Millions of Dollars", "Falun Gong-Related Media Spreads Fake News of the Democratic Party and the CCP" by The Guardian, "The Epoch Times Media Creates a Wider Network to Spread Its Message Online" by The New York Times, "Why Should You Care About This Little-Known Media Giant" by the "Open Democracy" Project, "<大纪元时报>Soaring Income for Spreading Trump Conspiracy Theories" by Axios.com News Network, "New Republic" How a little-known newspaper can fuel Europe's far-right," The Washington <大纪元时报>Post's "Pro-Trump Ad Banned by Facebook for Violating Transparency Policy," Buzzfeednews's "A Newspaper Banned in China Becomes One of Trump's Biggest Defenders," VOX News' "The Asian-American Community's Challenges Against Fake News," and more.