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Natalie Winters@nataliegwinters · Aug 10, 2026

REVEALED: China-Linked Influence Group Paid to Cultivate Dozens of U.S. Journalists and Manufacture “Positive”…

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Summary

A China-linked organization called the Better Hong Kong Foundation sponsored trips for 54 U.S. journalists from major outlets (CNN, NYT, NPR, WaPo, etc.) between 2010-2018, providing access to Chinese government officials and state media in exchange for favorable coverage of China and Hong Kong. Documents reveal the Foundation explicitly aimed to manufacture "positive stories" and journalists who participated published pieces praising China's policies and governance shortly after the sponsored trips.

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  1. #1

    REVEALED: China-Linked Influence Group Paid to Cultivate Dozens of U.S. Journalists and Manufacture “Positive” Coverage of the Chinese Communist Party. CNN. NPR. NYT. WaPo. Reuters. NBC. Bloomberg. Politico. Vox. Here are their names. 🧵

  2. #2

    Records never released to the American public reveal 54 U.S. journalists participated in China trips sponsored by the Better Hong Kong Foundation from 2010–2018. The group is one of the CCP’s most notorious foreign influence and propaganda organs: The United Front.

  3. #3

    The U.S. government says United Front operations seek to “co-opt and neutralize” CCP opposition and can involve “political influence, intelligence collection, and technology transfer.” Coverage from participants included: “China Will Be on Top of the New World Order.”

  4. #4

    The names, taken from the Foundation’s own records: • Saeed Ahmed, CNN • Carrie Halperin, CNN • Karin Caifa, CNN • Robert Little, NPR • Kevin Beesley, NPR • Robert Ballenger, NPR • Stephen Stromberg, Washington Post • Autumn Brewington, Washington Post

  5. #5

    • Holly Yeager, Washington Post • Juliet Lapidos, New York Times • Rebecca Davis, NBC News • Mariana Keller, NBC News • Jake Heller, NBC News • John Schoen, MSNBC • Jesus Ayala, ABC News • Valerie Volcovici, Reuters • Diane Bartz, Reuters

  6. #6

    • Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg • Benjamin Bartenstein, Bloomberg • Adam Behsudi, Politico • Michael Stratford, Politico • Elizabeth Ralph, Politico Magazine • Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times • Don Lee, Los Angeles Times • Joshua Keating, Slate

  7. #7

    • Evelyn Cheng, CNBC • Alan Wirzbicki, Boston Globe • Alexander Kingsbury, Boston Globe • Leslie Norton, Barron’s • Mary Childs, Barron’s • Kopin Tan, Barron’s • Sandra Ward, Barron’s • Jessica Schulberg, HuffPost • Alexander Kaufman, HuffPost

  8. #8

    • Oren Dorell, USA Today • Alexander Travelli, The Economist • Erica Grieder, The Economist • Michael Freedman, Newsweek • Roya Wolverson, Time • Joe Schatz, Congressional Quarterly • Patricia Hill, Washington Times • Jeffrey Chu, Fast Company

  9. #9

    • Nathan Bomey, Detroit Free Press • Daniel Beekman, Seattle Times • Lomi Kriel, Houston Chronicle • Andy Curliss, News & Observer • Janet Cho, Plain Dealer • Liz Jones, KUOW • Robert Chaney, Missoulian • David Whiting, Orange County Register

  10. #10

    • Marc Stewart, KMGH-TV • William Luckie, KLTV • Pia Lopez, Sacramento Bee

  11. #11

    The pay-for-play-style arrangement covered airfare, hotels, meals and transportation while providing privileged access to Chinese ministries, state media, government-selected companies and senior officials inside the CCP’s United Front apparatus.

  12. #12

    Here are American journalists receiving a briefing from the Information Department of China’s Foreign Ministry, an arm responsible for shaping Beijing’s foreign-facing messaging.

  13. #13

    Journalists were also taken to the Foreign, Commerce and Finance ministries, People’s Bank of China, Xinhua, CCTV, Global Times, People’s Daily Online, China Public Diplomacy Association and government-selected Chinese companies. Beijing curated who and what they saw.

  14. #14

    And here are American journalists meeting Tung Chee-hwa. Tung wasn’t merely Hong Kong’s former chief executive. He became a CPPCC vice chairman and founded CUSEF, a group identified by U.S. officials as part of China’s United Front influence apparatus.

  15. #15

    The objective was not simply to show reporters China. The journalists were brought together with Chinese counterparts to discuss: “How media coverage of each country can be improved.” The Foundation later called for: “Positive stories of Hong Kong and mainland China.”

  16. #16

    Better Hong Kong Foundation CEO George Yuen was even more explicit about the influence strategy. He described one of the Foundation’s overseas outreach efforts as a: “United front.” “We deliver one strong message.”

  17. #17

    Then came the coverage. Joshua Keating attended the 2013 trip as a Slate writer. WHILE THE SPONSORED TRIP WAS UNDERWAY, he published: “China’s City of the Future.” He praised the government-selected city’s “immense changes” and “optimistic spirit.”

  18. #18

    Los Angeles Times columnist Doyle McManus attended the 2010 trip. During and immediately after it, he published columns portraying Beijing’s conduct through Chinese officials’ perspective: “Simply defending their self-interest as they see it.” “They’re just as scared of the future as we are.”

  19. #19

    Barron’s Asia editor Leslie Norton attended the same sponsored trip. Within weeks, Barron’s published: “China’s Sure Bet.” Later: “China Will Be on Top of the New World Order.”

  20. #20

    The Foundation even celebrated changing Fortune’s narrative. After Fortune declared “The Death of Hong Kong,” Foundation representatives briefed journalist Sheridan Prasso. Her subsequent headline: “Oops! Hong Kong Is Hardly Dead.” The Foundation touted the reversal as a success.

  21. #21

    Beijing paid for the access. American journalists supplied the bylines. The documents, photos, names and coverage that followed are all in my full investigation: nataliegwinters.substack.com/p/revealed-chi…