Last month, at the height of the confrontation between China and the Philippines at Sabina Shoal, two attractive young Media Unlocked hosts appeared on a variety of social media networks to explain to the world--in English--why the single Philippine Coast Guard ship anchored there was a "conspiracy" that posed a grave threat to regional stability and the environment. Their slickly produced 3 minute and 48 second video, entitled "Mapping the Philippines Ambitions" sought to frame the event, as well as the entire South China Sea contest, as one in which the Philippines is the culprit, guilty of "illegal, aggressive and deceptive" behavior:

So what exactly is Media Unlocked? If you relied simply on its YouTube page (where it operates under the heading China Unlocked) or its X page, you might think it's an independent media outlet started by a couple of energetic and patriotic young Chinese journalists.

Ironically, it's over at its TikTok page--which now adds the "China state-controlled media" tag--that you are alerted that someone else's hand is actually controlling our young friends' creative content. This apparently dates back to the spring of this year, when complaints from Philippine TikTok users about Media Unlocked's West Philippine Sea reporting led to a temporary ban from the platform. Apparently, including the "state-controlled" tag was the price for allowing its content to return to TikTok--an event they announced this summer with great enthusiasm. They also threw in a charge that, "With the support of the U.S. government, CNN and the Philippine media have launched a disinformation campaign. Then, the Philippine government rallied trolls to mass-report us to get us banned". 

Finally--and bizarrely--they claimed that TikTok's algorithms favor Western media over China's:

We hope you watched to the end, where this propaganda channel for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)--reporting from a place where TikTok itself is banned--warns that that the banning of its TikTok page constituted ... wait for it ... a "threat to democracy."

Talk amongst yourselves.

Operating under the direction of China Daily, one of China’s most prominent state-run English language media outlets, Media Unlocked produces and promotes a deluge of highly produced pro-China content. For example, they recently aired the third episode of The Myth of the China Threat, a documentary series aimed at debunking the so-called “China threat theory.” Produced by Media Unlocked Studios, the series claims to expose what it sees as a smear campaign from Western media against China. 

The name of the studio itself, "qidi” (起底), translates to "get to the bottom," symbolizing the outlet's self-proclaimed mission of uncovering "truth". 

Recently, Media Unlocked unveiled its latest triumph--an interview with a former U.S. president's brother, Neil Bush, whose George H.W. Bush Foundation For U.S.-China Relations has allegedly received millions of dollars from a group associated with CCP influence operations. Bush--apparently unconcerned that he was participating in Beijing's propaganda campaign--helpfully sang the praise of China's communist system, its electric vehicle industry and, incredibly, even announced that he was observing a "massive freedom movement" in today's China.

In perhaps the most ironic exchange of the segment, Media Unlocked's host Meng Zhe asks Mr. Bush, "But as you said, America is a free country. Why [is it] so difficult to get the truth about China in a country with [a] free flow of information?", to which Bush responded, "That's my question, I was going to ask you, 'Why do you think that?' I have no idea."

Let that sink in.

According to China Daily’s 2022 Media Responsibility Report, Media Unlocked is touted as a key example of fulfilling President Xi Jinping’s call to wage a “public opinion struggle.” Its content often follows a common theme: attacking Western journalists and discrediting investigations critical of China’s policies--including the recently aired 60 Minutes report about Sabina Shoal: 

You'll note above that SeaLight Director Ray Powell comes in for special derision, and in fact has been featured in his own Media Unlocked hit piece, in which they allege that he is a vanguard of the U.S. military-industrial complex.

Media Unlocked blends professional media production with the facade of grassroots authenticity, but they are far from impartial. In reality, they act as conduits for China Daily's carefully crafted messages, aimed at propagating the CCP's ongoing media warfare campaign. 

Viewer beware.