A major metropolitan newspaper responsible for helping to expose and publicize the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of the Uyghurs, Tibetans, and many others in China—and outside of China—has also been publishing a series of attacks on the performing arts company Shen Yun, which is associated with the spiritual movement Falun Gong. Which the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to destroy.
For its part, the Epoch Times, a publication associated with Falun Gong practitioners, is continuing to defend Shen Yun in lengthy responses to the Times series, which it sees as likely having been instigated by the CCP and as furthering the Party’s goal of destroying Falun Gong internationally as well as within China (“How The New York Times Distorts Shen Yun’s Success in Latest Attack Article,” The Epoch Times, December 31, 2024).
This time, The New York Times cast the company in a negative light for keeping cash reserves. The article also attempted to explain away Shen Yun’s success by saying some Falun Gong practitioners have volunteered time or money to host and promote Shen Yun shows.
In its opening paragraphs, The New York Times goes as far as to suggest that Shen Yun “may have” obtained some money illegally, but then leaves the allegation unsubstantiated.
The New York Times reporters also made false statements in the article and concealed from readers that they were made aware of the inaccuracies before publication, The Epoch Times has learned.
“It is true that our company has experienced remarkable success,” Shen Yun said in a statement.
“It is also true that we have built, on our own, the fastest-growing performing arts company in American history.
“What the Times gets completely wrong is why, and, in many regards, how we did it.”…
A significant proportion of Falun Gong practitioners inside China and around the world have been active in raising awareness about the persecution [of Falun Gong], often on behalf of family members imprisoned or facing abuse in China. Virtually all such work has been carried out on a voluntary basis….
The FDIC [Falun Dafa Information Center] questioned the timing of the latest series of articles—which coincide with whistleblower reports that the CCP has launched a new campaign to “eliminate” Falun Gong overseas, “including via media reports by outlets without visible ties to the regime,” the FDIC said in a Dec. 30 release.
“The Times’ caricature of Shen Yun passes over every bit of the real story—one of blood, sweat, and tears of brave men and women fleeing persecution in China,” the Shen Yun statement said.
Here’s one example of the kind of accusations by the Times that Shen Yun has to deal with. Ticket sales are used to pay performers and to pay for venues. Sometimes, an organization that sponsors a Shen Yun performance fronts the expenses of promoting a show and then gets paid back out of the ticket sales.
The New York Times used one such case in Indiana during the 2017/2018 season to falsely claim that the shows didn’t make enough money for the hosts to recoup their initial expenses and that they used government grants to do so years later.
The president of the hosting organization, the Indiana Falun Dafa Association, however, had informed the New York Times reporters in an emailed statement that this was false, prior to the article’s publication.
“I would really appreciate it if you can provide the ‘records’ you are using to make these false statements,” he wrote, never receiving a response.
The shows were in fact very successful, did make enough money to cover expenses the same season, and no government grant money was involved, he explained to The Epoch Times, offering a 2018 bank statement from the nonprofit as proof.
The New York Times reporters didn’t include any portion of his statement in their article.
Another “problem”: Shen Yun’s planning for the future.
The New York Times questioned why Shen Yun saves its money in a bank, without spending or investing it. But the publication didn’t explain why it would be nefarious for the company to keep cash reserves. It didn’t allege the cash reserves were being misused in any way.
Shen Yun explains that its cash reserves helped it get through the pandemic without having to let anybody go despite a long hiatus in performances.
Also see:
Statement by Shen Yun: “New York Times Confirms Shen Yun’s Success—But Gets Much Else About the Company Wrong”
“Indeed, the Times’s caricature of Shen Yun passes over every bit of the real story—one of blood, sweat, and tears of brave men and women fleeing persecution in China, founding Shen Yun, and proceeding to create a new performing arts company in a new land, one that aims to help people reconnect with the very best of their human nature; their own divine inner light….
“None of this story is conveyed or even touched upon by the Times. In fact, their coverage seems to intentionally cherry-pick negative accounts from a few displeased former staff—as well as actions of individuals that were not acting on behalf of nor condoned by Shen Yun—in addition to simply relying on inaccuracies to build a distorted narrative.”
Epoch Time: “Artist Cited in NY Times Attack Articles Sets Record Straight”
Falun Info: “The CCP’s New Plan to ‘Eliminate’ Falun Gong Worldwide”
