Is It News or Chinese Propaganda?

“Chinese kids undergo required military training.”

Warner Todd Huston

There has been study after study proving the leftward tilt of the American media establishment, so the constant denials by that same media sounds increasingly absurd and hard to believe. But, it is one thing to have people who truly believe their own ideology is the best guide for the future and base their honest actions on that belief and quite another to act unethically in pursuit of their professions. Unfortunately, there seems far more of the later these days than the former. And here is just another example of the latter to dishearten all of us.

In this case, USA Today published a story that not only advances the fortunes of our self-professed enemy, but one that is cynically intended as a self-serving ploy. The paper’s story lends a big assist in promulgating Chinese propaganda as the paper helps explain away the nature of the forced military training that Chinese children undergo. Calling the compulsory training a benign sounding “camp” and presenting the children’s training as if it is a mere summer excursion, USA Today soft sells China’s militarization of their youth in theirs titled, ”Chinese kids undergo required military training.”As USA Today dutifully reports China’s propaganda — the children go there to “sing songs” with the training only meant to “bolster teamwork” —  we see a disgraceful example of the MSM’s practice of not “offending” a totalitarian nation so as not to lose their “access” there. Instead of reporting the harsh truth, we have USA Today offering a sunny and happy report on Chinese warmongering.

The Chinese government forces all children between the ages of 9 and 18 to undergo military training at regular intervals during Summer break from school. They have no choice and neither do their parents. This is the sort of complete lack of freedom of choice that can be expected from a totalitarian government, of course. In the West, we decry militarizing our children by force, so isn’t it odd that USA Today so softens this training? Isn’t it shameful that the paper helps China promote the propaganda that these military training sessions are really a wonderful time for China’s youth?

http://www.newmediajournal.us/staff/huston/09102007.htm

2007-09-10