ACTION ALERT: Enough Is Enough:
Tell the Media to Disarm the Discourse

Codepink

(October 5, 2023) — In 2019, after 18 years of war, the Washington Post finally revealed the US military had no idea what it was doing in Afghanistan. By then, tens of thousands had perished as weapons contractors raked in billions.

From bombing a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan to sanctioning Venezuela by declaring it a national security threat, US officials typically cite bad intelligence as the excuse for unnecessary escalation in the aftermath once it’s too late.

ACTION: Tell the Media:
Stop the Propaganda, Once and for All!

The 1999 US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was one of the first escalations with China explained as an intelligence error. But the US military is NOT learning from its mistakes. More recent escalations show that raw intelligence from spy agencies has dangerous consequences. In February, the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times cited unnamed officials who claimed it was a spy vessel.

The US State Department launched a global propaganda campaign that claimed the balloon was part of a surveillance network, conducting briefings designed to show the balloons were a threat. In June, US Air Force Brigadier Pat Ryder refuted claims the balloon collected data. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley recently reiterated the balloon was not spying.

Not only did false intelligence prompt US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a trip to China meant to reduce tensions. It also set off a frenzy where the US shot down anything in the sky if it was suspected to have connections to China. An F-22 fighter jet likely shot down a $13 balloon over Canadian airspace launched by civilians. Elected officials tweeted racist rhetoric, and Chinese American groups like the Committee of 100 warned about a nationwide surge in discrimination and violence.

Sadly, propaganda works. A Princeton University study found Americans who perceive China as a threat were more likely to stereotype Chinese people as untrustworthy and immoral. But publications like The New York Times, for its focus on China’s ‘deceptive’ methods, are still spreading harmful propaganda about China’s supposed threat to global security.

Join us for the Webinar:
Disarming the Discourse:
How the US Media Pushes War on China

From 2018 to 2022, the Department of Justice carried out the China Initiative, an effort to prosecute Chinese spies. During the initiative, the China Initiative, the number of Chinese researchers who dropped their affiliation with US institutions rose by 23 percent. The Department of Justice continues to racially profile Chinese in the US. An Asian American Scholar Forum poll found 64% of university faculty members, most of whom had Chinese heritage, felt unsafe as an academic researcher in the US.

From COVID-19 conspiracy theories to provocations over Taiwan, we must resist pro-war propaganda. Our upcoming webinar, Disarming the Discourse on October 12 at 2:00 PM PT/5:00 PM EST will focus on how to spot disinformation and keep the public conversation anchored in peace.

ACTION: Tell the Media: Enough Is Enough!

We are urging the media to disarm the discourse by rejecting sourcing from anonymous intelligence officials with a pro-war bias and instead engage in ethical and common-sense journalism regarding China.

Dear Editorial Staff (The New York Times/The Wall Street Journal),

Before the US military shot down a Chinese weather balloon earlier this year, your outlets cited unnamed officials who claimed it was a spy vessel. This not only escalated tensions with another nuclear-armed state; it also led to attacks on civilian balloons and an increase in anti-Asian hate.

The New York Times uncritically published a story about the US State Department’s global propaganda campaign to scare other countries about the threat of Chinese balloon surveillance. On June 29, when US Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder refuted claims the balloon collected data, a Wall Street Journal article published a story using the phrase “spy balloon” on the same day.

From stories about the supposed threat of Chinese AI capabilities to the COVID-19 lab leak theory, the media has been consistently getting China wrong. A Princeton University study found Americans who perceive China as a threat were more likely to stereotype Chinese people as untrustworthy and immoral.

As we approach the 2024 presidential elections (usually a period of increased anti-China hate) and the COP28 climate talks in Dubai, there are still many among the American public who DO NOT want tensions to escalate; neither do we want Chinese Americans and Chinese nationals in the US to be afraid for their lives.

Faced with this crisis in coverage, we demand ethical and common-sense journalism that seeks truth from facts, not rumors and omissions. Moreover, the over-handed use of anonymous intelligence officials is doing a disservice to bilateral relations and potentially puts us on the path to a hot war in the Pacific. We urge you to go beyond the reliance on shoddy intelligence, which has led us to multiple wars abroad over the past two decades.

We implore your publications, which set a crucial part of the national agenda, to accurately report about China and China-US relations. Not only will this help advance a normal relationship between the world’s two largest economies. It could lay the groundwork for mutual understanding and a more well-informed public discourse in the US when it comes to China.

That way, we won’t repeat the mistakes of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in which the UN estimates 9,000 civilians have died as of July 2023. We urge you to disarm the discourse!

Onwards to peace!
In Solidarity,
Cale, Jodie and the entire CODEPINK team

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