Back in April, I wrote about how the English-language edition of the Global Times wasn’t breaking new ground for Chinese state-owned English-language media. I thought that it probably wouldn’t succeed in reaching the foreign audience it desires.
Well, it looks like I might have been wrong. China seems to have found a way to exert its influence overseas through English-language media – and in a way you wouldn’t expect. The Onion, the American satirical daily news website, reported this week that it has been sold to a Chinese salvage fishery (and polymer injection) company.
Of course, this is just the latest spoof from the team at The Onion, and it’s pretty good. The tone of the website follows that of English-language state media, with a few exaggerations: one article simply proclaims China is strong and an editorial written by an American child proudly declares how lazy he is. Whether this can be considered an example of China’s state-owned media finally having an impact abroad is debatable, but it sure is funny.
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