China Global Television Network (CGTN), the international broadcasting arm of China Central Television (CCTV), presents itself as a professional, impartial global news outlet — but a detailed new report has found that its editorial decisions are governed by ideology, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) shaping every layer of its operations. The findings were published by Italy-based online magazine Bitter Winter, citing a study titled 'See the Difference' released earlier this month by international human rights organisation Safeguard Defenders.

A Modern Facade, A Controlled Interior

The study drew on discussions among Chinese netizens — gathered despite widespread censorship — to reconstruct how CGTN functions within the CCP's media architecture. According to the report, the network's transformation from CCTV-9 to CGTN, housed in the skyscraper popularly known as 'the big pants', created an image of modernity that impressed both visitors and staff.

Yet former employees described the experience starkly. One recalled: 'This was the most impressive-looking place I'd ever been allowed to work in, and yet on the inside it was soporific.' Another compared the newsroom to a library — hushed, rigid, and devoid of genuine editorial exchange. Critics argue this contrast between outward appearance and internal practice is itself a communications strategy.

Scripts, Supervision, and Ideological Compliance

The report details a newsroom culture in which anchors and reporters follow rigid scripts with no room for deviation. Copy editors, it notes, work under the supervision of Chinese 'teachers' who scrutinise every line for political correctness. Captions and tickers are approved in advance and cannot be altered once a broadcast begins.

Former staff members described propaganda as a constant and overriding presence in their daily work. As the report quotes one ex-employee: 'Propaganda always trumped news value; the audience was always secondary.' Sensitive topics were routinely avoided, and anchors read from the autocue without the option to adjust a single sentence. Those who questioned the process, according to former staff, risked reprimand. Several employees reportedly left the channel because they could not reconcile their journalistic instincts with the demands imposed on them.

The Case of Cheng Lei

The report highlights the case of Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist and former CGTN anchor, as a particularly stark illustration of the risks journalists face within the network's environment. Cheng vanished from public view in 2020 after being secretly detained in China for six months. Notably, CGTN made no mention of her arrest and quietly removed her profile from its website.

Following her release and return to Australia in 2023, Cheng spoke publicly about the dangers journalists face when they assume that professional status offers them protection — a warning the Safeguard Defenders study says is central to understanding how CGTN manages and silences its own staff.

Broader Implications for Global Media

The Safeguard Defenders study situates CGTN within a wider CCP effort to shape international public opinion through state-controlled media that superficially resembles independent journalism. The network broadcasts in multiple languages and is available across Europe, the Americas, and Africa, giving it a reach that critics argue amplifies CCP-approved narratives to audiences who may not recognise the editorial constraints underpinning the output.

Regulators in some countries have already taken note: the United Kingdom's Ofcom revoked CGTN's broadcasting licence in 2021, citing editorial control by a body linked to the CCP. The new report adds fresh detail to an accountability debate that shows no sign of abating as Chinese state media continues to expand its global footprint.