Network Beams Dissidence Into China

A US-based satellite TV station staffed mainly by members of spiritual movement Falun Gong is broadcasting a dissident message into China, the Wall Street Journal reports. With Falun Gong called an "evil cult" and outlawed by the Chinese government, its members have started New Tang Dynasty, a radio station, newspaper, and dozens of websites to deliver pro-democracy messages.

NTD has risen in five years from a scrappy start-up to a variety channel—news, movies, cooking shows, sports—aired in Asia, Europe, and the US. It reports on issues forbidden to Chinese state media, such as political corruption and the spread of SARS in 2003. China's government scrambles NTD's signal, but illegal satellite dishes give viewers a way around. (More Falun Gong stories.)