- An investigation by International Business Times, citing reporting by Natalie Winters and publicly available Foreign Agents Registration Act filings, examined the China–United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a foundation the article describes as linked to the Chinese Communist Party. According to the filings, CUSEF hired Washington lobbying firms to help generate favorable media coverage of China and disseminate “positive messages” about Beijing.
- The article identifies numerous current and former U.S. journalists who allegedly participated in CUSEF-funded trips to China over the past decade, including reporters and editors affiliated with The New York Times, CNN, Reuters, NPR, NBC News/MSNBC, The Atlantic, The Hill, Vox, and other major outlets. IBTimes notes that some participants publicly disclosed at the time that their travel had been sponsored by CUSEF.
- IBTimes reports that publicly available lobbying records support CUSEF’s stated objective of cultivating favorable coverage, while noting that broader claims regarding the trips’ influence on editorial decisions remain allegations made by Winters rather than independently established facts. The article concludes that the disclosures have renewed debate over transparency, foreign influence, and disclosure standards for journalists participating in foreign-funded reporting trips.
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