Toronto -- Geoffrey York and Human Rights Watch should be commended for blowing the whistle on China's failure to honour its promises about press freedom (China Seen As Reneging On Media-Freedom Vow (July 7). Anyone with their eyes open knows China's media are severely censored. What many don't know is that Chinese propaganda, including distortions about Tibetans and Falun Gong practitioners, is entering Canadian homes via Chinese CCTV, broadcast by Rogers Cable.
China Rights Network, representing various China-related organizations, has complained to the CRTC about CCTV-4 broadcasts in March and April that characterized protesting Tibetans as violent thugs and criminals. It is bad enough that the Chinese people do not get the truth about government actions and world events from their own media. But Canada has a free media that endeavour to bring us the truth, so it is doubly distressing that distortions and lies are given free access to Canadian homes. Freedom of the press should not include the freedom to distort.