Editor’s Note:
For a long time, the narratives surrounding China in some Western media outlets have been rife with misinformation, bias, and even hostility. Through their tinted lenses, it has been difficult for international readers to gain a true and comprehensive understanding of China.
However, it seems there have been some changes in this situation recently. Some Chinese netizens have observed a shift in the tone of some Western media outlets’ reporting on China, moving from a predominantly negative perspective to a more objective one. Even the BBC, a broadcaster that has faced longstanding criticism from Chinese netizens for its biased and misleading coverage, has begun to present a more balanced and positive portrayal of China.
What has prompted this change? Are Western media outlets becoming “friendlier” toward China? The Global Times has conducted an analysis using big data, engaged with AI models, and reviewed a wider array of recent Western media reports to uncover the answers. This is the first installment in the series.
BBC releases a seven-minute video titled “DeepSeek, TikTok, Temu: How China is Taking the Lead in Tech” on February 7, 2025. Photo: Screenshot of BBC reportRecently, the BBC released a seven-minute video titled “DeepSeek, TikTok, Temu: How China is Taking the Lead in Tech,” in which it praises China’s rapid development in the technology sector is approaching the forefront of the world, and partly owes this development to the Chinese government’s long-term plan.
As a broadcaster that has long been involved in the reporting of politics inside and outside the UK, many of the BBC’s practices have been criticized by Chinese netizens for biased and fake reporting on China. On Chinese social media platforms, some netizens termed its video editing style as a “hell filter” as they found the BBC always added a dark filter to the videos captured in China to portray the country in a negative light. Some netizens even conducted on-site investigations of the dimly lit street scenes featured in BBC programs to prove that these areas were actually quite bright.
The “sudden change” in its reporting tone triggered heated discussions on Chinese social media platforms, with many saying that they feel somewhat “unfamiliar” with the BBC, asking “what happened to BBC?”
“What shocked me was that, for the first time in the BBC video, footage of China’s modern cities appeared without the use of a ‘hell filter,'” commented a YouTube user. “This is not the typical BBC tone that I’ve known for years,” joked another.
A comment linking this change at the BBC to Trump administration’s decision to shut down USAID on February 3, which reads “Looks like USAID payments to the BBC have stopped,” has gained around 7,000 likes on YouTube as of press time.
The Global Times found that in a January 29 article, the BBC just published a negative report about Chinese technology, with the headline: “Be careful with DeepSeek, Australia says – so is it safe to use?”
What surprised Chinese netizens even more was that the Chinese-language X account of BBC News posted a video clip on February 18 showcasing the gorgeous winter scenery in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a region that has previously been a major target of the BBC’s slander. This time, the BBC praised the scenery as “magnificent” and “like a silver-white world.”
“Is it an alternative way for the BBC to ask for funds from USAID?” commented a user on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, also RedNote. “I’m afraid that the BBC will turn into ‘Broadcast Beautiful China’ if the US stops providing funding.”
Similarly, Bloomberg, a mainstream US media outlet that has published numerous negative China-related stories that AI large language model ERNIE Bot (also known as Wenxin Yiyan) described as having “previously exhibited a certain negative bias in its coverage of China,” spoke highly of the impressive box office performance of the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 in a video interview on February 10.
Apart from that, some Chinese netizens also found that previously, some Western media reports on China, covering topics from social governance to emerging industries, were often filled with skepticism. Even when the content itself was positive, authors would attempt to “balance” the narrative, as seen in the common phrasing of titles like “…but at what cost?” For example, “China is getting smarter – but at what cost?” by the BBC, and “‘Made in China 2025’ has been a success, but at what cost?” by The Economist.
Now, these titles seem to have decreased in frequency recently. “Some media outlets suddenly dropped the ‘but at what cost?'” wrote a user on RedNote. “Was USAID really that important?” the user quipped.
Bloomberg reports on an impressive box office performance of the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2, on February 10, 2025. Photo: Screenshot of Bloomberg video report
Figures tell
Has there been a change in the negative coverage of China by Western media outlets recently just as some Chinese netizens have observed? Big data can provide a clear assessment. The Global Times selected media coverage from eight major Western countries including the US, the UK, Canada, and Germany on a data monitoring platform, based on a four-week time frame: January 28 to February 3, February 4 to 10, February 11 to 17, and February 18 to 24.
Based on the categories of the coverage sentiment shown on the platform as neutral, positive, or negative, the Global Times found that during the week of January 28 to February 3, among the China-related reports from the selected media outlets, there were 1.03 million articles with a neutral tone, 113,000 articles with a positive tone, and 435,000 articles with a negative tone.
In the following week, February 4 to February 10, the numbers were 831,000 neutral, 93,100 positive, and 265,000 negative. In the week of February 11 to February 17, there were 794,000 neutral articles, 95,700 positive articles, and 187,000 negative articles. The latest week of February 18 to 24 saw 754,000 neural articles and 88,900 positive ones, while the number of negative articles continued declining to 183,000.
Compared to the relatively stable numbers of neutral and positive articles, the quantity of negative coverage on China from these eight Western countries showed a significant decline, dropping from 435,000 to 265,000, to 187,000, and 18,300 over the four weeks. Although the total number of negative articles still exceeded that of positive ones, it can be seen that the tone of Western media outlets saw a decline in its negative narratives.
The Global Times also asked several Chinese large models, such as DeepSeek, Wenxin Yiyan, and Doubao, whether there is a declining trend in Western media’s negative reports on China, they responded that there has indeed been a trend in US media to reduce negative reporting on China. Wenxin Yiyan gave a more detailed answer, which stated that recently, especially since February, Western media’s coverage of China has undergone a change, shifting from the previous “dark filter” narrative to a more objective and positive reporting style. This transformation is reflected not only in the quantity of coverage but also in the content and perspectives presented.
When asked the same question, ChatGPT answered that “the negative coverage of China by Western media has indeed decreased, but it is not completely disappeared, particularly concerning issues related to human rights and international diplomatic policies involving China. Such reporting is often influenced by the political stances of different media outlets, with mainstream media in Europe and the US continuing to emphasize certain topics that are unfavorable to China.”
Photo: Global TimesFactors behind
So, regarding the recent decline of negative reports about China in Western media outlets, has China changed, or has Western media changed?
Chinese experts reached by the Global Times believe that the reduction in the USAID budget may be a factor influencing short-term adjustments in the coverage of China by some Western media outlets. However, this impact does not indicate a fundamental shift in their stance.
In the long term, China’s technological advancements and the effectiveness of international cooperation initiatives will continue to be the key drivers in shaping international public opinion. Meanwhile, negative narratives arising from the context of Western strategic competition with China are likely to persist, they noted.
Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University, believes that the shift in the tone of some Western media reports indicated that many of their negative reports about China were “specifically manufactured.”
Now that USAID has ceased operations, it means the mechanism for producing negative information about China has malfunctioned. It’s like unplugging a machine from the power source – once the upstream is disconnected, the downstream loses power, effectively paralyzing the central nervous system, Shen told the Global Times.
Based on reports and public information, USAID has funded media sources through various means, including direct subscriptions and financial support.
The BBC, for example, was said to have received approximately $3.2 million during the 2023-2024 financial year from the USAID to support BBC Media Action, an international charity that is “part of the BBC family,” though the BBC has claimed that the charity is editorially and financially separate from BBC News. The funding accounted for about 8 percent of BBC Media Action’s budget that year, according to a report by Associate Press News.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) called on European institutions and foundations to open new tabs to mobilize support for media pluralism and independent journalism, saying Trump’s move would cause “chaos in the media ecosystems of over 30 countries around the world, including many European countries,” Reuters reported February 13.
“I support these Western media outlets asking USAID for their ‘salaries,'” wrote a netizen on Chinese social media platform Weibo. “After all, who wants to keep doing it (smearing China) without getting paid?”
Steven Guanpeng Dong, dean of the School of Government and Public Service at the Communication University of China, said that Western mainstream media tends to have a clear political orientation, and many media outlets will selectively report on China according to their own political positions.
For example, the political party alternation in the UK affects the BBC, a state-owned media outlet, on its reporting on China. The shift of the BBC is not only a reflection of the political changes within the country, but also responds to the global political landscape, he said.
Besides, due to the funding cuts and the impact of new media, traditional media organizations have seen a sharp decline in the quality of their personnel. In order to gain fame quickly, some journalists would choose to report negatively on China or even distort the facts, Dong told the Global Times.
Huang Rihan, a professor at the College of International Relations and the dean of the Maritime Silk Road Institute at Huaqiao University, pointed out that the US’ cognitive system toward China is also adept at producing negative reports on China through disinformation and industrial chains. This system further influences the perceptions of China by constructing academic discourse and establishing “China studies” programs in Western universities, many of which carry academic biases against China.
Lü Xiang, an expert in US studies and a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, warned that the US’ cognitive system has both public and covert aspects. He believes that, although the Trump administration is seemingly reducing its public propaganda investment, in the future, they may focus more on the covert aspects, which will be harder for its targets to detect.
From the 1950s claim that “China cannot sustain itself,” to the hypothesis that “Chinese society is on the verge of collapse” during the 2008 global financial crisis, to the recent “Peak China” narrative, some Western media outlets have not stopped demonizing China. However, these smears have also never stopped China’s development. Over the years, the Chinese economy has made steady progress, and China’s “circle of friends” has become bigger and bigger.
The recent shift may also be attributed to the growing awareness of some Western media outlets, which began to recognize that in comparison to China, the West is apparently grappling with more significant problems, said Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University.
However, whether the decline trend has anything to do with the closure of USAID or some sort of political game in the West, or other factors, China is not afraid of the “hell filter,” nor does it need a “beauty camera.” A true, objective, just, and wonderful China will bring endless warmth and surprise to the world, Li said.
