FAS

China Has Jobs for Foreign Reporters

12.04.09 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

At a time when U.S. news organizations are shedding jobs at an alarming rate, the People’s Republic of China has been hiring a growing number of reporters from outside of China.

“Since July of this year, Xinhua’s English-language service– China’s official news service for English-language audiences — has hired several experienced Western journalists to serve as overseas correspondents,” according to a new report (pdf) from the DNI Open Source Center (OSC).

“Following Xinhua’s introduction in 2003 of bylines on items filed in English, OSC has observed that the number of non-Chinese correspondents employed by the news agency has grown to more than 80. Most of these new hires, however, have been non-Western reporters.”

The OSC report has not been approved for public release, but a copy was obtained by Secrecy News.  See “China — Xinhua’s Growing Ranks of ‘Foreign’ Correspondents,” Open Source Center, November 5, 2009.

Another new OSC report notes that state-owned China Central Television has “dropped a number of talk shows and pre-recorded news magazine programs in favor of a heavy focus on live newscasts and news commentaries.”  See “China — Revamped CCTV-News Channel Increases Live Casts, Commentary” (large pdf), November 5, 2009.

publications
See all publications
Government Capacity
day one project
Policy Memo
A Digital Public Infrastructure Act Should Be America’s Next Public Works Project

Congress must enact a Digital Public Infrastructure Act, a recognition that the government’s most fundamental responsibility in the digital era is to provide a solid, trustworthy foundation upon which people, businesses, and communities can build.

12.08.25 | 18 min read
read more
Government Capacity
day one project
Policy Memo
Increasing the Value of Federal Investigator-Initiated Research through Agency Impact Goals

To increase the real and perceived benefit of research funding, funding agencies should develop challenge goals for their extramural research programs focused on the impact portion of their mission.

12.04.25 | 11 min read
read more
Education & Workforce
day one project
Policy Memo
Privacy-Preserving Research Models Essential for Large Scale Education R&D Infrastructure

Without trusted mechanisms to ensure privacy while enabling secure data access, essential R&D stalls, educational innovation stalls, and U.S. global competitiveness suffers.

12.02.25 | 6 min read
read more
Global Risk
Report
A Guide to Satellite Imagery Analysis for the Nuclear Age – Assessing China’s CFR-600 Reactor Facility

Satellite imagery has long served as a tool for observing on-the-ground activity worldwide, and offers especially valuable insights into the operation, development, and physical features related to nuclear technology.

12.01.25 | 1 min read
read more