U.S. newspapers call on China to reverse expulsion of journalists

Publishers of three U.S. newspapers on Tuesday urged China to reverse a decision to force out about a dozen of their American journalists.

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They noted in an open letter that the expulsions came at a time of “shared crisis” for the world.

China announced on March 18 it was revoking the press accreditation of all American journalists in the China bureaus of the three newspapers that were due to expire at the end of 2020, effectively expelling them.

“We strongly urge the Chinese government to reverse its decision to force the Americans working for our news organisations to leave.

“The decision uniquely damaging and reckless as the world is fighting a global coronavirus pandemic,” the publishers of News Corp’s (NWSA.O) Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and the New York Times (NYT.N) said.

Perhaps over any major news event in modern history, this moment underscores the urgent importance of both probing, accurate, on-the-ground reporting from the centres of the pandemic and of sharing the information.

The expulsions were the latest escalation in a dispute with the U.S. over media freedom and access, which February saw the U.S. require that Chinese state media register as foreign embassies.

China then expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters, two Americans and an Australian, after the paper published an opinion column calling China the “real sick man of Asia”.

The U.S. then cut the number of journalists allowed to work at four major Chinese state media outlets there from 160 to 100, citing a “deepening crackdown” on independent reporting in China.

China’s Foreign Ministry has said its measures are “necessary” and “reciprocal” against “escalating discrimination and oppression against Chinese media” by the U.S.