Update (3/17/2020, 5:18 p.m.): The Trump administration fired back after the communist government of China essentially banished U.S. journalists from reporting within China and its territories.
The National Security Council (NSC) tweeted out the following:
Original Story: As far I’m concerned communists suck. The communist government of China also sucks. So while their latest move should come as no surprise to anyone, the brazenness of the current Chinese regime is on full display for the world to see — well, except the people actually in China.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday, their time, that all U.S. journalists working for five specific outlets will not be allowed to report any news from inside China, “including the semiautonomous territories of Hong Kong and Macau.
According to the WSJ:
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it was demanding that all U.S. nationals working for The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Washington Post whose press credentials expire by the end of the year turn those credentials in within 10 calendar days.
The affected reporters won’t be allowed to report anywhere in China, including the semiautonomous territories of Hong Kong and Macau, the statement said.
It also ordered five outlets—the Journal, Times and Post as well as the Voice of America and Time—to submit information about staff, finances, operations and real estate in China.
The ministry, through a spokesperson, said these actions are in response to the “unreasonable oppression” Chinese news outlets claim to experience in the U.S.
The WSJ article, however, does not mention whether the statement provided examples of the “unreasonable oppression” their reporters experience in the states.
Considering the U.S. has freedom of the press and China has…well, not much in the way of freedoms, China’s Foreign Ministry could just be making claims in another attempt to push the country’s propaganda driven news stream.
“This isn’t apples to apples,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in comments at the State Department. “You all know the press freedoms you have…We know that that kind of freedom doesn’t exist inside of China.”
WSJ’s Editor-In-Chief Matt Murray released a statement on Tuesday, U.S. time, addressing “China’s actions against US journalists:
Statement on China’s decision to expel U.S. journalists
China’s unprecedented attack on freedom of the press comes at a time of unparalleled global crisis. Trusted news reporting from and about China has never been more important. We oppose government interference with a free press anywhere in the world. Our commitment to reporting fully and deeply on China is unchanged.
Matt Murray
Editor in Chief, The Wall Street Journal & Dow Jones Newswires