Making Good Use of "The Epoch Times"

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Although I have yet to stumble across it, I am beginning to suspect that somewhere in my huge yard is a sign alerting passers-by that "a fool with money lives here," and if there is, that's sad - really - because, although likely a fool, I am actually also a retired person with a very fixed - and modest - income.  I don't have the means to donate to every grifter with a postal permit, but I do have internet access and am more than happy to post my thoughts on whatever makes its way into my mailbox.

Last week the National Rifle Association in all of its vainglory sent a packet of materials encouraging me to send them money and join their (hopefully soon to be defunct) fascist organization.  I did destroy their materials to prevent them from falling into the hands of someone more gullible than myself, and I mailed their postage-paid envelope back to relieve their treasury of the price of a stamp.  And then I "tweeted" the NRA with a suggestion that if money was so tight, perhaps they should consider selling some of Wayne LaPierre's fine Italian suits!

Yesterday I received another piece of right-wing, crackpot mail.  Somehow a sample edition of a weekly newspaper calling itself "The Epoch Times" found its way into my sylvan lane mailbox.   (Actually this is the third or fourth time that the publication has reached me over the past few years.  I really don't mind because when living on a farm there is always some good use for old newspapers.  My new baby chicks will appreciate this one!)

Since the good folks at The Epoch Times went to the trouble and expense of sending a free copy of their paper, I gave it a cursory examination to see what I would be missing when I didn't subscribe.  There was a notice at the top of the front page which declared:

"Dear Reader,

We hope you'll enjoy this sample copy of The Epoch Times.  Inside, you'll find traditional, honest, journalism without any spin, false narratives, or hidden agendas.  It's real news that can be delivered to your home every week!"

That conjures memories of Fox News' ancient claim to be "fair and balanced."  It's hard to "balance" news, and Fox never even tried, so I was doubtful that The Epoch Times had found the key to delivering "journalism without any spin, false narratives, or hidden agendas."  It only took mere moments to prove myself right.  A few highlights follow.

On page two there was a pair of graphs depicting the "most and least favorite US Presidents" as picked by Epoch Times Readers in a poll that was conducted on President's Day.  The results of that poll alone give a mighty indication of which way the newspaper leans politically.  The top five favorite presidents were:  1. The Orange Menace who just left office this past January, 2. Reagan, 3. Washington, 4. Lincoln, and 5. Jefferson.  The least favorite presidents of the Epoch Times readers were:  1. Obama, 2. Biden, 3. Clinton, 4. Carter, and 5. Lyndon Johnson.  Clearly the "regular" readers of this publication were troglodytes.

There was also an interesting set of graphs showing how Epoch Times readers rated the media bias of that publication as compared to the BBC, Bloomberg, AP, and New York Times.  Epoch Times readers found this publication to be more "centrist" than the others.  I thought it odd that Fox News wasn't included in that reader survey - an inclusion that might have skewered the result they were apparently seeking.

Other news articles in the sample issue focused on a right-wing author's contention that a socialist revolution is underway in the US, the continuing election turmoil in Arizona from what appeared to be the GOP perspective, vaccine "mandates" for college students, complaints about "open borders," Disney using "Critical Race Theory" in employee training, and articles slanted against abortion and transgender rights.

In the "editorial" section - and really most of the publication had the flavor of editorial writing - there was a piece supporting home-schooling, another minimizing the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th, one attacking the green movement, one in support of home-birthing, one featuring ways to "save" America from socialism, one attacking Nancy Pelosi as coming to get your guns, and multiple pages focused on the evils of the Chinese Communist Party.

And there was plenty more in this publication, not all of it right-wing drivel.  But the majority was, in fact, right-wing drivel and my attention waned as I waded through the many pages.  Then I came to a set of endorsements that told me all I really needed to know - including one from Sean Hannity of Fox News who described himself as reading The Epoch Times daily, another from Seb Gorka who credited the paper with keeping the communist threat front and center, and one from looney Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar who said that it is the first paper he reads.  That was more than enough to convince me that it was anything but something without spin, false narratives, or hidden agendas.

Having examined the sample edition, I turned to Wikipedia to find out what I could regarding the weekly publication.    That source had this to say:

"The Epoch Times is a far-right international multi-language newspaper and media company affiliated with the Falun Gong new religious movement. The newspaper, based in New York City, is part of the Epoch Media Group, which also operates New Tang Dynasty Television." 

(And that probably explains the multiple pages highlighting the evils of the Chinese Communist Party.)

It wasn't some "mom and pop" operation that had sprung up and grown by meeting the unique market needs of some segment of society, but was rather a publication financed and fostered by a foreign religious movement.  The Epoch Times grew curiouser and curiouser!   

So, all of you good folks at The Epoch Times and Falun Gong, I guess I will pass for now.  The next time you send a copy, if you would enclose return postage, I would be happy to send it back.  Meanwhile, my new little chicks will get a lot of enjoyment out of pooping on this one!

Cheers!