The Battle for Truth: How Beijing Rewrote the COVID-19 Narrative

By the end of 2020, China had developed a powerful state news apparatus that allowed it to control the narrative surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Media outlets like CGTN, China Daily, Xinhua, Global Times, People’s Daily,y and many others published in English and provided millions of readers with the officially approved version of events. Alongside other news pieces, China Daily devoted significant attention to the coverage of the pandemic.