Xinhua journalists 'spy' for Communist Party
Book on Chinese media reports that Xinhua reporters 'spy' for the Communist Party doing tasks typically handled by the CIA in the United States
Journalism traditionally in China has been the Communist Party's "eyes and ears" for understanding the country's mood, author Doug Young says in his newly released book about China's media.
Reporters at the state news agency Xinhua "spy" for the party, he says, often performing a role typically done by the CIA, America's spying organisation.
The book, The Party Line: How the Media Dictates Public Opinion in Modern China, has become available in Hong Kong.
Young has lived and worked in China for 15 years, much of that time as a journalist for Reuters covering Chinese companies.
Young spoke with reporter Stephen Quinn.
