The Epoch Times: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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==History==

[[Image:Falung Gong manif Paris dsc07596.jpg|thumb|Protest against the Communist Party of China and its purported control over Chinese society, organized by various associations including [[Falun Gong]]. [[Paris]], Place d'Italie, February 26, 2006, near noon. The ''Epoch Times'' is cited by the protesters.]]

According to the newspaper itself, ''The Epoch Times'' was founded in New York in May 2000, following the arrest of a small circle of journalists in [[People's Republic of China|China]] in [[2000]]. <ref>[http://en.epochtimes.com/aboutus.html Epoch Times About us]</ref> As stated by [[Li Hongzhi]], the founder of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa), the ''Epoch Times'' "was established by Dafa disciples for validating the Fa." <ref>[http://clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/1/22/SF_2005_Lecture_QA.html]</ref> The term Dafa disciple refers to practitioners of [[Falun Dafa]]. The term Dafa refers to Li’s “Great Law of the cosmos” <ref>http://www.falundafa.org/book/eng/jjyz2_28.htm</ref> which “is judging all beings” in a process called Fa-rectification. .<ref>http://falundafa.org/book/eng/jjyz2_46.htm</ref> In a 2006 speech, Li stated that the goal of his “Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples” while clarifying the truth is “to save people and eliminate the poisoning of people by those old elements and by the vile party's evil specters. The reason is, the old forces are to be weeded out during Fa-rectification, the vile party (CCP) and the evil specters will likewise be weeded out for sure, and all who have a hand in what they do will be weeded out. This is a law laid down in Fa-rectification, and it has to be done this way." <ref>http://www.falundafa.org/book/eng/jw_142.htm </ref>

According to Li, the ''Epoch Times'' is one of “three major media groups”—the Sound of Hope and New Tang Dynasty TV are the other two—which most concern the Chinese Communist Party. Because the ''Epoch Times'' has become “the platform and facilitator for the Nine Commentaries,” a practitioner asked Li in 2005 about how it should be run. Li responded: