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Outlet profile

The Epoch Times

U.S. right (Falun Gong-affiliated)

Owned byEpoch Media Group / The Epoch Times Association, a nonprofit tied to the Falun Gong spiritual movement; not owned by a corporate media conglomerate
FundingSubscriptions, digital and print advertising, and donations — historically from Falun Gong supporters and, more recently, from conservative donor-advised funds (e.g., DonorsTrust); revenue surged from about $15 million to over $70 million per year starting in 2020, a jump federal prosecutors tied to a $67 million money-laundering scheme run through the outlet's finances
On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 in Atlanta by John Tang and other Chinese-American Falun Gong practitioners as a print newspaper focused on human-rights abuses in China; it is closely tied to the Falun Gong movement, though the outlet says its newsroom operates independently of the group. It expanded rapidly after 2016 with an aggressive, Facebook-driven growth strategy, becoming one of the top spenders on pro-Trump political advertising on the platform during his first term, which led Facebook to restrict its ad accounts in 2019. It has been a major promoter of anti-China and anti-Chinese Communist Party narratives, and reporters and commentary contributors have promoted conspiracy theories, including QAnon-adjacent content and election-fraud claims after the 2020 election. In June 2024, its chief financial officer, Weidong "Bill" Guan, was indicted in a $67 million money-laundering scheme involving fraudulently obtained unemployment and other funds funneled through Epoch Times accounts disguised as donations; he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in July 2026, though prosecutors said the case did not implicate the outlet's news content. Fact-checkers and media-bias monitors (e.g., AllSides, NewsGuard) rate it as strongly right-leaning with a record of publishing misleading or unsubstantiated claims. Its coverage of the Trump administration has been consistently favorable, amplifying administration talking points and rarely running critical investigative pieces about the White House.

Sources

  1. The Epoch Times
  2. An Epoch Times executive is facing money laundering charges
  3. Ex-Epoch Times CFO pleads guilty in $67 million money laundering scheme
  4. Chief Financial Officer Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Launder $67 Million Dollars In Fraud Proceeds
  5. Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times
  6. The Epoch Times Media Bias | AllSides
  7. Epoch Times, one of Trump's favorite 'news' sources, is linked to Shen Yun

Profile compiled 2026-09-28; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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