Congressman highlights The Epoch Times’ history on House floor, emphasizing its commitment to journalistic integrity.

Shedding Light on The Epoch Times: A Mission of Uncensored Information

On the House floor, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) captivated his audience with a compelling speech about the origins of The Epoch Times. He revealed the publication’s ongoing mission to provide uncensored information to readers worldwide, despite facing oppression from the Chinese communist regime.

Mr. Norman began his speech by recounting the remarkable story of John Tang, the founder of The Epoch Times. Tang, a physics doctoral student at Georgia Tech in 1999, unexpectedly decided to launch a newspaper. Little did he know that two decades later, he would be leading the fourth-largest American newspaper by subscription count.

In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal campaign against the spiritual discipline Falun Gong, which had millions of practitioners in China. The CCP, fearing the practice’s popularity as a threat to its power, unleashed a barrage of hate propaganda through state and private media outlets. This propaganda aimed to demonize and isolate the peaceful group, justifying their persecution.

From afar, Mr. Tang, who had immigrated to the United States, witnessed the persecution of his friends and the amplification of CCP propaganda by Western media. Driven by a sense of duty, he took action.

Birth of The Epoch Times

With no prior experience or resources, Mr. Tang established Dajiyuan, the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times, in his Atlanta basement. His goal was to provide uncensored information not only to people in China but also to readers worldwide. Remarkably, other Chinese Americans, including those with advanced degrees, left their well-paying careers to join Tang in this seemingly impossible endeavor.

Rep. Norman then delved into the paper’s first reporting group, which focused on exposing the CCP’s human rights abuses. However, independent reporting on such sensitive topics posed a direct threat to the CCP’s control. Within months, Chinese police raided the newsroom, arresting all reporters and editors. Some faced harsh sentences and endured frequent torture. Two Epoch Times staff members, Zhang Yuhui and Shi Shaoping, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Despite this setback, The Epoch Times’ Chinese edition thrived outside of China, becoming a leading website for Chinese current events and attracting millions of readers. Today, its print newspaper reaches readers in America and over 30 countries worldwide. Many Chinese citizens bypass the CCP’s internet firewall to access The Epoch Times website daily.

Since its inception, the CCP has relentlessly tried to shut down The Epoch Times. The party has threatened the newspaper’s advertisers, launched incessant cyberattacks, and even targeted the relatives of staff members in China.

This harassment extends beyond China. In 2006, assailants broke into the home of Chief Engineer Peter Li in Atlanta, beating him and stealing his computers. In Hong Kong, assailants set fire to the newspaper’s printing press in 2019, and armed men stormed the premises in 2021, smashing printing equipment with sledgehammers.

Despite these relentless attacks, The Epoch Times remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the truth.

Rep. Norman also highlighted The Epoch Times’ significant role in inspiring the “Quit the CCP” movement through its publication of the series “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” This comprehensive overview of the true nature of the CCP has led to over 410 million individuals severing ties with the party.