Editing China Central Television (section)

== Reception ==
The network's principal directors and other officers are appointed by the State, and so are the top officials at local conventional television stations in mainland China; nearly all of them are restricted to broadcasting within their own province or municipality. [[Editorial independence]] is subject to government policy considerations, and as a result, its history and news channels have been charged with being "[[propaganda]] aimed at brainwashing the audience" in a letter written by a number of Chinese intellectuals who also called for a boycott of state media was posted on a US-based website and has circulated through Chinese websites.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-01-12 |title=China TV faces propaganda charge |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7824255.stm |access-date=2022-11-27 |archive-date=19 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819222440/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7824255.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_325896.html 'Boycott state media' call] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205203549/http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_325896.html|date=5 February 2010}} , ''[[The Straits Times]]'', 14 January 2009.</ref> The network often publishes misleading and false information, particularly as it pertains to issues considered sensitive by the Chinese government. However, only a small percentage of the Network's programming can be described as "abusive or demonizing propaganda."<ref name="Diplomat 2019">{{Cite news |last1=Cook |first1=Sarah |title=China Central Television: A Long-standing Weapon in Beijing's Arsenal of Repression |website=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |publisher= |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/09/china-central-television-a-long-standing-weapon-in-beijings-arsenal-of-repression/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005165924/https://thediplomat.com/2019/09/china-central-television-a-long-standing-weapon-in-beijings-arsenal-of-repression/ |archive-date=5 October 2019}}</ref>

Journalists working for the network's English-language international channel, CGTN, as well as of the other non-Chinese language TV channels under the CGTN banner, are under constant pressure to present a positive account of China, according to [[Anne-Marie Brady]]'s study published in 2008. "In August 2005, a series of items reported factually on the [[2005 Sunjiawan mine disaster|coal mining disaster]] in China; soon after the channel's leaders received a warning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that its reports were harming China's international image. Following this incident, senior editorial staff and journalists were all forced to write self-criticisms."<ref name=":5" />

Brady says that while the channel's equipment is state-of-the-art, the employees are not well trained in how to use it, so there are frequent errors during a broadcast. "The political controls on the station contribute to a generally low level of morale and initiative among station staff," she writes.<ref name=":5" />

A study done by the observer of Chinese film and television, Ying Zhu, suggests that "CCTV is full of serious-minded creators who regularly experience bouts of self-doubt, philosophical ambivalence, and in some cases, [[major depressive disorder|clinical depression]]." During her extensive interviews with key CCTV players, Zhu notes that "Certain common themes, about ideals, distorted or altogether thwarted by commercial and political pressure, emerged."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zhu |first=Ying |authorlink=Ying Zhu |date=5 June 2012 |title=The Inside Story of When China's State-Run TV Criticized the Party |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/the-inside-story-of-when-chinas-state-run-tv-criticized-the-party/258102 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018015901/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/the-inside-story-of-when-chinas-state-run-tv-criticized-the-party/258102/ |archivedate=18 October 2017 |accessdate=27 October 2021 |work=[[The Atlantic]]}} , accessed June 2012</ref><ref name="Zhu2010" />

According to [[Freedom House]], CCTV "has a consistent record of blatantly and egregiously violating journalistic standards and encouraging or justifying hatred and violence against innocent people. CCTV is an essential component of the CCP's brutal authoritarian regime and should be treated as such."<ref name="Freedom House" />

In 2020, the [[United States Department of State]] designated CCTV as a [[Diplomatic mission|foreign mission]], which requires it to disclose more about its operations in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=2020-06-22 |title=U.S. Designates Four More Chinese News Organizations as Foreign Missions |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/us/politics/us-china-news-organizations.html |url-status=live |access-date=2020-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622221012/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/22/us/politics/us-china-news-organizations.html |archive-date=22 June 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Ruwitch|first1=John|last2=Kelemen|first2=Michele|date=22 June 2020|title=Trump Administration Labels 4 More Chinese News Outlets 'Foreign Missions'|work=[[NPR]]|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881755421/trump-administration-labels-4-more-chinese-news-outlets-foreign-missions|url-status=live|access-date=22 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622211319/https://www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881755421/trump-administration-labels-4-more-chinese-news-outlets-foreign-missions|archive-date=22 June 2020}}</ref>

=== Incidents ===
Since its inception CCTV has served as a tool of state power and as such has been complicit in human rights abuses. They have a history of demonizing and inciting hatred against those perceived as foes by the CCP, in this way they can be used to mobilize against threats as diverse as Falun Gong and international human rights groups.<ref name="Freedom House" />

==== 1990s Falun Gong crackdown ====
In 1999, during the first crackdown on [[Falun Gong]], CCTV's ''Focus Talk'' ran 28 episodes over a 32-day period which defamed practitioners and incited hatred against them. In 2001, they deceptively claimed that a group of people who had [[Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident|set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square]] were Falun Gong adherents, a claim which was characterized as "clearly abusive" by the Canadian regulatory commission.<ref name="Freedom House" />

==== Xinwen Lianbo and fake imagery ====
On 23 January 2011, Xinwen Lianbo showcased the [[Chengdu J-10]] firing a missile at a plane, causing it to explode. The footage lasted half a second and the destroyed plane shown was later identified as that of an [[Northrop F-5|F-5E]], a US fighter jet. The clip was later revealed to have been taken from the 1986 US movie ''[[Top Gun]]''.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 January 2011 |title=CCTV Tries to Pass Off 'Top Gun' Clip as Real? |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/video/cctv-tries-to-pass-off-top-gun-clip-as-real/43EC0FC2-A440-4522-8E81-437EC747D30A.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=18 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914010743/http://www.wsj.com/video/cctv-tries-to-pass-off-top-gun-clip-as-real/43EC0FC2-A440-4522-8E81-437EC747D30A.html |archive-date=14 September 2014}}</ref>

==== Comments by CCTV head Hu Zhanfan ====
In 2011, the new CCTV head Hu Zhanfan "was found to have proclaimed in July [or January,<ref name=CMP01/> both before the CCTV appointment in November] that journalists' foremost responsibility is to 'be a good mouthpiece{{'"}}<ref name=NYer01>[[Evan Osnos|Osnos, Evan]], [http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2011/12/the-pentagon-papers-the-press-and-beijing.html#entry-more "The Pentagon Papers, the Press, and Beijing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109062809/http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2011/12/the-pentagon-papers-the-press-and-beijing.html#entry-more |date=9 January 2012 }} , ''[[The New Yorker]]'' blog, December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.</ref> Internet posts of the comment blossomed after the appointment, one "juxtapos[ing] CCTV's ... ''Xinwen Lianbo'' (新闻联播) and photos of Chinese crowds waving red flags with black-and-white images from [[Nazi Germany|Nazi-era Germany]]". Comparisons with the Nazi propaganda chief [[Joseph Goebbels]] also spread. Official media coverage of the Zhanfan's presentation focused on his call to avoid "fake news and false reports (失实报道)" but also incorporated the "mouthpiece" comment.<ref name="CMP01">{{Cite web |last=Bandurski |first=David |date=2011-12-05 |title=Goebbels in China? |url=https://chinamediaproject.org/2011/12/05/goebbels-in-china/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=China Media Project |language=en-US |archive-date=1 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001012754/https://chinamediaproject.org/2011/12/05/goebbels-in-china/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Broadcasting forced confessions ====
CCTV regularly broadcasts the [[forced confession]]s of accused or convicted criminals and produces programming to go along with them.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Carlson |first1=Benjamin |title=In China, the confession will be televised. In fact, it already is |website=[[Public Radio International]] |publisher= |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-11-15/china-confession-will-be-televised-fact-it-already |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018121823/https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-11-15/china-confession-will-be-televised-fact-it-already |archive-date=18 October 2020}}</ref> These programs are often filmed before the beginning of formal judicial procedures.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=2016-01-21 |title=China Uses Foreigners' Televised Confessions to Serve Its Own Ends |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/world/asia/china-confession-cctv.html |url-status=live |access-date=2020-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016045325/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/world/asia/china-confession-cctv.html |archive-date=16 October 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Domestic dissidents such as lawyers, journalists, and activists as well as foreigners have been the victim of this practice.<ref name="Quartz 2015">{{Cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Zheping |date=15 July 2015 |title=China is using televised confessions to shame detained lawyers, journalists, and activists |website=[[Quartz (website)|Quartz]] |publisher= |url=https://qz.com/453477/china-is-using-televised-confessions-to-shame-detained-lawyers-journalists-and-activists/ |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014161349/https://qz.com/453477/china-is-using-televised-confessions-to-shame-detained-lawyers-journalists-and-activists/ |archive-date=14 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chin |first=Josh |date=2016-01-25 |title=On Chinese TV, Confessions Are All the Rage |language=en-US |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/01/25/on-chinese-tv-confessions-are-all-the-rage/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=2020-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314053844/http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/01/25/on-chinese-tv-confessions-are-all-the-rage/ |archive-date=14 March 2017 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Jiang |first1=Steven |date=26 January 2016 |title=Trial by media? Confessions go prime time in China |website=[[CNN]] |publisher= |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/asia/china-television-confessions/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417015338/https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/26/asia/china-television-confessions/index.html |archive-date=17 April 2021}}</ref>

In 2013, [[Peter William Humphrey|Peter Humphrey]] and [[Charles Xue]]'s forced confessions were aired on CCTV.<ref name=":1" /> Since being freed, Humphrey has been highly critical of CCTV and the practice of airing forced confessions.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Humphrey |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter William Humphrey |title=Countering China's Forced Confessions |website=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |publisher= |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/11/countering-chinas-forced-confessions/ |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013124143/https://thediplomat.com/2019/11/countering-chinas-forced-confessions/ |archive-date=13 October 2020}}</ref> In 2020, the British media regulator [[Ofcom]] sided with Humphrey and announced sanctions against CGTN, which aired Humphrey's confession and was branded as CCTV News at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-07-06 |title=Chinese TV channel breached rules with 'forced confession' |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53308057 |url-status=live |access-date=2020-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706202331/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53308057 |archive-date=6 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1= |title=UK Watchdog Upholds Complaint Against Chinese Broadcaster |website=[[Barron's (newspaper)|Barron's]] |publisher= |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/uk-watchdog-upholds-complaint-against-chinese-broadcaster-01594040407 |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408043513/https://www.barrons.com/news/uk-watchdog-upholds-complaint-against-chinese-broadcaster-01594040407 |archive-date=8 April 2022}}</ref>

In 2014, CCTV broadcast the forced confession of the then-septuagenarian journalist [[Gao Yu (journalist)|Gao Yu]].<ref name="Quartz 2015" />

In 2016, Peter Dahlin and [[Gui Minhai]]'s forced confessions were aired on CCTV.<ref name=":1" /> In 2019 Dahlin filed a complaint against China Global Television Network (CGTN) and China Central Television-4 (CCTV-4) with Canadian authorities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nuttall |first1=Jeremy |date=10 June 2020 |title=China broadcast my forced confession in Canada — and CRTC does nothing: ex-prisoner |work=[[Toronto Star]] |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/09/china-broadcast-my-forced-confession-in-canada-and-crtc-does-nothing-ex-prisoner.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610235644/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/06/09/china-broadcast-my-forced-confession-in-canada-and-crtc-does-nothing-ex-prisoner.html |archive-date=10 June 2020}}</ref>

On 21 November 2019, CCTV's international arm CGTN aired a video of a forced confession from Hong Kong activist [[Simon Cheng]]. Within a week, Cheng had filed a new complaint to [[Ofcom]] over the broadcast.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-11-28 |title=Simon Cheng: UK media watchdog receives 'China forced confession' complaint |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50592641 |url-status=live |access-date=2021-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418232932/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50592641 |archive-date=18 April 2021}}</ref>

In 2020, the forced confession of Taiwanese citizen Lee Meng-chu was aired on a CCTV program. A day later, the same program aired the forced confession of an academic from Taiwan accused of espionage and separatist activities.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Teng |first1=Sylvia |date=13 October 2020 |title=Another Taiwanese reportedly detained by China for 'endangering national security' |website=[[Taiwan News]] |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4028918 |url-status=live |access-date=13 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016220238/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4028918 |archive-date=16 October 2020}}</ref>

==== 2009 fire ====
{{main|Beijing Television Cultural Center fire}}
On 9 February 2009, the [[Beijing Television Cultural Center]] caught fire on the last day of the festivities of [[Chinese New Year]], killing one firefighter.<ref name="nyt">{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Andrew |date=9 February 2009 |title=Fire Ravages Renowned Building in Beijing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world/asia/10beijing.html |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818084130/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/world/asia/10beijing.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=beijing%20fire&st=cse |archive-date=18 August 2018 |access-date=10 February 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The blaze rendered the 42-story structure unusable, as the zinc and titanium alloy of the outer skin was burnt.<ref name="nyt" />

The fire had implications for the credibility of CCTV, which was already unpopular because of its dominance in the media.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38400de8-f9c2-11dd-9daa-000077b07658.html Beijing fire evokes mixed reactions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214211257/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/38400de8-f9c2-11dd-9daa-000077b07658.html|date=14 February 2009}} , ''[[Financial Times]]'', 13 February 2009.</ref> The incident was mocked by [[netizens]] who reproduced [[photoshop]]ped photos of the fire and criticized CCTV for [[Censorship in the People's Republic of China|censoring]] coverage. Pictures of the fire are widely distributed on the internet, as a result of [[citizen journalism]].<ref>[http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/18432-credibility-of-cctv-tarnished-by-big-fire Credibility of CCTV tarnished by big fire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720124639/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/18432-credibility-of-cctv-tarnished-by-big-fire|date=20 July 2011}} , ''[[The Malaysian Insider]]'', 16 February 2009.</ref>

==== Libyan Civil War ====
During the [[2011 military intervention in Libya]], reports from CCTV tended to support [[Muammar Gaddafi]]'s arguments, claiming that the coalition forces attacked Libyan civilians and the military intervention was no different from an invasion. In some of the news reports, CCTV used images of demonstrators and said that they were against NATO's military intervention. CCTV also mislabeled a person holding a banner which said "Vive la France" ("long live France" in French) and claimed that he was a supporter of Gaddafi. Later on 27 March, a Chinese banner that said "Muammar Gaddafi is a lier. {{sic}}" was shown in some Libyan demonstration videos on the Internet.<ref>{{Cite news |title=利比亚反对派举中文标语"卡扎菲是说谎者" |url=http://v.ifeng.com/news/world/201103/a504ae85-65ce-423f-84c9-20c18b499694.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422214347/http://v.ifeng.com/news/world/201103/a504ae85-65ce-423f-84c9-20c18b499694.shtml |archive-date=22 April 2016 |access-date=1 September 2016 |website=[[Phoenix Television]] |language=zh}}</ref>

==== 2019 NBA free speech dispute ====
In 2019, CCTV announced that they were cancelling the broadcast of two [[National Basketball Association]] preseason games in response to a tweet by the General Manager of the [[Houston Rockets]], [[Daryl Morey]], in support of [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests|pro-democracy protests]] in Hong Kong. After [[Adam Silver]] defended the General Manager's right to [[free speech]], CCTV responded with, "We express our strong dissatisfaction and opposition to Silver's stated support of Morey's right to free speech. We believe any remarks that challenge national sovereignty and social stability do not belong to the category of free speech," and continued, "We will also immediately examine all other cooperation and exchanges with the NBA."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Toh |first1=Michelle |date=8 October 2019 |title=China won't show NBA preseason games as backlash over Hong Kong tweet grows |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/08/media/nba-china-hong-kong-morey/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009014400/https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/08/media/nba-china-hong-kong-morey/index.html |archive-date=9 October 2019 |access-date=9 October 2019 |website=[[CNN]] |publisher=}}</ref>

==== Censorship and disinformation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine ====
{{Further|Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine|China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine}}

During the [[2022 Winter Paralympics]], CCTV censored a speech by [[International Paralympic Committee]] president [[Andrew Parsons (sports administrator)|Andrew Parsons]] condemning the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-03-05 |title=Paralympic Committee asks Beijing why anti-war speech censored |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220305-paralympic-committee-asks-beijing-why-anti-war-speech-censored |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308120406/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220305-paralympic-committee-asks-beijing-why-anti-war-speech-censored |archive-date=8 March 2022 |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=[[France 24]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=March 5, 2022 |title=Paralympic Body Asks China Why it Censored Anti-War Speech |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-05/paralympic-body-presses-china-on-censoring-of-no-war-speech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305105152/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-05/paralympic-body-presses-china-on-censoring-of-no-war-speech |archive-date=5 March 2022 |access-date=March 10, 2022 |work=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref> CCTV promoted Russian disinformation such as unsubstantiated [[Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory|claims of biological weapons labs in Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yuan |first=Li |date=2022-03-04 |title=How China Embraces Russian Propaganda and Its Version of the War |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/business/china-russia-ukraine-disinformation.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220314120327/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/business/china-russia-ukraine-disinformation.html |archive-date=14 March 2022 |access-date=2022-03-13 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Edward |date=2022-03-11 |title=U.S. Fights Bioweapons Disinformation Pushed by Russia and China |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/10/us/politics/russia-ukraine-china-bioweapons.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314115329/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/10/us/politics/russia-ukraine-china-bioweapons.html |archive-date=14 March 2022 |access-date=2022-03-13 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rising |first=David |date=March 11, 2022 |title=China amplifies unsupported Russian claim of Ukraine biolabs |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-covid-health-biological-weapons-china-39eeee023efdf7ea59c4a20b7e018169 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311112049/https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-covid-health-biological-weapons-china-39eeee023efdf7ea59c4a20b7e018169 |archive-date=11 March 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Simone |date=March 10, 2022 |title=China's promotion of Russian disinformation indicates where its loyalties lie |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/china/china-russia-disinformation-campaign-ukraine-intl-dst-hnk/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310213748/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/china/china-russia-disinformation-campaign-ukraine-intl-dst-hnk/index.html |archive-date=10 March 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref> In April 2022, CCTV repeated Russian claims that the [[Bucha massacre]] was staged.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Simone |last2=Xiong |first2=Yong |date=6 April 2022 |title=As the world reacts in horror to Bucha, China's state media strikes a different tone |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/06/china/china-reacts-bucha-ukraine-atrocities-intl-hnk-mic/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409022758/https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/06/china/china-reacts-bucha-ukraine-atrocities-intl-hnk-mic/index.html |archive-date=9 April 2022 |access-date=9 April 2022 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

==== Censorship during the 2022 COVID-19 protests ====
{{Further|2022 COVID-19 protests in China}}
During the [[2022 COVID-19 protests in China]], CCTV's coverage of the [[2022 FIFA World Cup]] censored scenes of maskless fans in the stadium.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mellor |first=Sophie |date=28 November 2022 |title=China's state-owned television is editing maskless fans out of its World Cup coverage |url=https://fortune.com/2022/11/28/china-state-owned-television-editing-maskless-fans-out-world-cup-coverage/ |access-date=28 November 2022 |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128132203/https://fortune.com/2022/11/28/china-state-owned-television-editing-maskless-fans-out-world-cup-coverage/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wei |first=Low De |date=28 November 2022 |title=World Cup Fans Without Masks Pose Dilemma for Chinese TV Amid Protests |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-28/maskless-world-cup-fans-pose-dilemma-for-chinese-broadcasters |access-date=28 November 2022 |work=[[Bloomberg News]]}}</ref> CCTV avoided coverage of the protests directly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yerushalmy |first=Jonathan |date=28 November 2022 |title=How Chinese media have – and haven't – covered widespread protests against zero-Covid |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/how-chinese-media-have-and-havent-covered-widespread-protests-against-zero-covid |access-date=28 November 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-date=1 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001012754/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/how-chinese-media-have-and-havent-covered-widespread-protests-against-zero-covid |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant ====
In 2023, CCTV ran paid ads on social media platforms in multiple countries and languages denouncing the [[discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant]], which critics labeled part of a concerted [[disinformation]] campaign.<ref name=":322">{{Cite news |last1=Rich |first1=Motoko |last2=Liu |first2=John |date=2023-08-31 |title=China's Disinformation Fuels Anger Over Fukushima Water Release |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/world/asia/china-fukushima-water-protest.html |access-date=2023-09-01 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930231110/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/31/world/asia/china-fukushima-water-protest.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-09-02 |title=Fukushima: China's anger at Japan is fuelled by disinformation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66667291 |access-date=2023-09-03 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=30 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930231107/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66667291 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Helen |date=2023-09-04 |title=State-backed disinformation fuelling anger in China over Fukushima water |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/04/state-backed-disinformation-fuelling-anger-in-china-over-fukushima-wastewater-japan |access-date=2023-09-06 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001095925/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/04/state-backed-disinformation-fuelling-anger-in-china-over-fukushima-wastewater-japan |url-status=live }}</ref>