I’m a big fan of the Epoch Weekly, the print version of the Epoch Times that is available for free on the counter of my local IGA. The paper itself is something of an enigma. The staff don’t seem to know who leaves it, or even who publishes it. It’s just this strange little seemingly underground newspaper, yet believe it or not, it has one of the widest circulations in the world.
A little perusing in the paper itself and some online research reveals that Epoch (meaning a period, age, time, or span) is a broadsheet headquartered in New York City, and was founded by John Tang and a group of Chinese American Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong is an enigma in itself. The left are more than a little confused about it (as are many on the right) because on the surface it appears to be the kind of pacifist esoteric claptrap they’d normally love, but it is in fact awkwardly libertarian, anti-communist, and somewhat pro-life.
This might explain why reading the Epoch Times can be a surreal but rewarding experience for the conservative or libertarian. At face value, it reads (stylistically) like the Guardian. The prose itself is quite like the pacifist barely awake writings of a soft-left journalist, but the content itself couldn’t be any more different.
The tone makes complete sense once you realise the machinations behind it. Much like a band who were influenced by The Rolling Stones and Willie Nelson might wind up sounding like a hybrid of country and rock, a bunch of conservative/libertarian Chinese dissidents who follow a regime of meditation and philosophy and decide to go into print media might produce an esoteric vibe like the Epoch Times has.
Epoch sometimes feels like David Lynch might be the editor, but the content has more integrity, and is more legitimate than about 99% of mainstream print media. Epoch are so balanced in their reporting that it is difficult for the reader to even be able to gauge their politics, and this is probably the best compliment any news organisation could ever get.
The headline on the front page of the November 24-30 edition reads: ‘Anti-Trump Protests and the Challenge to Democracy’. Initially I thought the same thing you may be. Another propaganda-filled piece questioning Trump’s legitimacy. But no, this is The Epoch Times. It’s a thoughtful and incredibly well balanced piece that examines the threat to democracy from paid protesters. Fairfax or the New York Times would never address these issues, much less on the front page.
Tang and his journalists have seen this kind of loathsome socialist driven intimidation of citizens before back in the home country, and aren’t fooled for a moment by the spices that the Regressive Left use to season the unpalatable truth about socialism. Their fearless reporting offers transparency in a world where other broadsheets don’t.
To get a taste of what Epoch is about, here is their report on the death of Castro. It is fair and balanced in true Epoch fashion, but does hint that the world leaders mourning the dictator probably have their fair share of skeletons in the closet as well. El Salvador’s left-wing President is correctly pegged as a tyrant, as is Castro.
MSM outlets no doubt regard Epoch as ‘fake news’, but just compare the article linked above to this revisionist Cultural Marxist nonsense to be found in the ‘real news’ Guardian. This article not only manages to portray a tyrant (who actually used to be portrayed as a tyrant in the media, albeit excessively as literally Hitler… sound familiar?) as benevolent, while somehow easing Trump (who is now literally Hitler according to MSM) into the tyrant driver’s seat.
Epoch may well be the most important print media organisation on the planet for those who value the truth over a Castro-worshipping, Cultural Marxist legacy. Unlike other ‘fake media’ including XYZ, which can be tricky to find unless you’re actually looking for them or you’ve had a heads up from The Age, the average person can find the Epoch Times staring at them from a counter, newsstand, or in their letterbox. And unlike an overpriced Fairfax or Newscorp paper, it’s entirely free.
It’s very accessible to the average curious punter, and doesn’t smash them over the head with an agenda. Epoch is so painstakingly balanced that it even appeals to the more reasonable contingent on the left, and a lot of Epoch readers identify as such. It also no doubt encourages people to seek out other alternate media, which can only be a good thing.
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Epoch Weekly, I’d strongly recommend it. If you have, I’d similarly suggest giving a copy to someone who believes that Brexit was a disaster, or that Russia hacked Hillary’s emails, because they need an alternative news source even more than you do. In terms of fair and balanced reporting in print media, Epoch leaves others like SMH, The Guardian, or The New York Times in the dust.
It’s your XYZ.
Photo by torbakhopper 