A US journalist has admitted to acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China, in a case that exposes the growing reach of Beijing’s influence operations in American media. The journalist, whose name has been withheld pending formal sentencing, pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court on Monday to a single count of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent without prior notification to the Attorney General.
Sources confirm the journalist had been operating under the direction of Chinese state security officials for nearly four years, feeding them intelligence gathered through interviews and access to classified briefings. The journalist also passed on internal editorial decisions and contact information for sources within the US intelligence and defence communities.
The unsealed indictment reveals a trail of encrypted messages, offshore payments, and clandestine meetings in third countries. The journalist received over $400,000 via shell companies in Hong Kong and Singapore. In return, they provided China’s Ministry of State Security with detailed reports on US foreign policy deliberations, including early drafts of sanctions against Chinese tech firms.
This is not a lone wolf operation. Uncovered documents suggest a wider network of journalists, academics, and think-tank analysts who have been cultivated by Chinese handlers under the guise of academic exchange and cultural diplomacy. The FBI has reportedly identified at least six other individuals under investigation for similar offences.
The case raises uncomfortable questions about the integrity of journalism in an era of great power competition. Too many newsrooms have been complacent about foreign influence operations, treating them as a problem for governments not media outlets. The journalist in question worked for a major cable news network and had regular access to senior administration officials.
A senior US intelligence official told me: "This is the tip of the iceberg. The Chinese have been playing a long game, embedding assets in media organisations to shape coverage and gather intelligence. We have been slow to wake up to the scale of the threat."
The journalist faces up to 10 years in prison. But the damage is done. Every reporter who took a free trip, every editor who accepted a soft loan, every producer who looked the other way now has to ask themselves: whose agent are you really?
The conviction is a victory for the Justice Department but a warning for the industry. The next time you see a glowing profile of a Chinese official or a story that seems too good to check, remember: the price of influence is never cheap, and someone always pays it.
