Report reveals CGTN’s internal review mechanism and the handling of Cheng Wenjie’s case

CGTN (China Global Television Network) is headquartered in Beijing and is affiliated with China Central Television. (European News Agency file photo)

The international human rights organization Safeguard Defenders released a report on the 10th, interviewing eight former foreign employees of China Global Television Network (CGTN), revealing how the CCP controls news content through layers of censorship and self-censorship. It also exposed the inside story of Cheng Wenjie, a former employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong, who made a "television confession" in 2019. A former editor admitted that he felt "ashamed" of his handling of relevant reports.

The report pointed out that although CGTN describes itself as an international news channel, in fact, its topic selection, manuscripts, subtitles, and even the anchor’s questions are strictly controlled. After Xi Jinping inspected CCTV and other state media in 2016 and demanded that "Party media be surnamed Party", censorship was significantly tightened, and programs no longer focused on international news, but instead added content such as government activities and "Xi Jinping Thought." A former employee revealed that news involving Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and policies must be "perfect and error-free" before broadcast. Sometimes as many as three-quarters of a news item is related to Xi Jinping.

A former editor revealed that when foreign employees were editing articles, there would be Chinese "teachers" to check political requirements. The anchors were not allowed to go off-script, nor were they allowed to adjust interview questions or subtitles on their own. Even if the on-site situation did not match the preset content, they were not allowed to make unauthorized changes.

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The report specifically exposed the Cheng Wenjie incident. Zheng Wenjie worked for the British government for nearly two years and was detained in Shenzhen for 15 days in August 2019. Zheng later told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that he had been beaten, tortured and "forced to confess on television" while in detention. CGTN immediately broadcast a clip of his confession, refuting the relevant charges, and said that he was administratively detained for violating public security regulations by "prostitution."

A former editor who had handled the news described it as "the worst story I had ever written." He revealed that the relevant manuscript was suddenly sent to the editorial department about half an hour before it was broadcast, and the superior had ordered that it "must be broadcast." "If the department head refuses, then she will be in big trouble."

Many former employees also mentioned that their phone calls and social activities may have been monitored during their tenure; after CGTN Australian anchor Cheng Lei was detained by China in 2020, they were even more aware of the risks they faced.

The report believes that external review and employee self-review have jointly formed CGTN’s content control system, and political propaganda trumps news value.