March 28, 2024 21:43 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
'To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture': PM posts after 600 lawyers write to CJI | Comments on our electoral, legal processes completely unacceptable: India on US' remarks over Kejriwal arrest | Delhi High Court rejects PIL seeking removal of Arvind Kejriwal as CM | MHA extends AFSPA in 3 districts of Arunachal Pradesh for 6 months | Encourage fair, transparent and legal process: US comments again on Kejriwal's arrest
China attempting to influence Sri Lankan local media: Reports Sri Lankan media
Representational image from Wallpaper Cave

China attempting to influence Sri Lankan local media: Reports

India Blooms News Service | @indiablooms | 19 Oct 2022, 07:42 pm

Colombo: China is trying to influence the local media of Sri Lanka, a media house from the Island nation reported.

The phrase “China’s red carpet trap” would sound familiar to those closely following Sino-Sri Lanka relations, reports Ground Views.

Local journalists, when interviewed in 2020, stated that following participation in fully paid training sessions in China, they were expected to portray the country positively in their stories; they clarified, though, that this arrangement wasn’t unique to China, while adding that the Chinese Embassy, and not the editors/management of their respective publications, would decide on journalists’ eligibility for such programmes, reports Ground News.

Meanwhile, the Twitter account of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo, operational since 2020, is known to engage with other Twitter users in a hostile manner, “including by tagging elected Sri Lankan leaders and other diplomatic representatives”.

Additionally, “sock puppet accounts” – semi or fully automated Twitter accounts – were seen amplifying posts by the embassy and BRI accounts.

While the China Communist Party (CCP)’s efforts to influence Sri Lanka have been previously highlighted in an International Republican Institute (IRI) report, a recently released comprehensive Country Report on Sri Lanka, which is part of Freedom House’s Beijing’s Global Media Influence 2022 report, uncovers some unnerving aspects of China’s efforts to influence local media during 2019-2021, reported the news media.

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.