Boxun

According to the Associated Press, Meicun "Watson" Meng set up Boxun in 2000 to promote pro-democracy, human rights, and expose corruption in China.[2] Boxun allows anyone to submit news to the website in the form of citizen journalism, which has resulted in a large number of articles remaining anonymous.[1] The Boxun servers are run from an office in North Carolina since 2000.[3]

Boxun is partly backed by the China Free Press project, which is partially funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, a US-funded organization.[1][2] According to Meng, the website is now independenty financed.[2]

In April 2012, Boxun was subject to a cyber attack after days of reporting about Bo Xilai. Meng said he believed the attacks were ordered by China's security services.[2] According to the Associated Press, much of Boxun's reports on the Bo scandal "been proven true or been corroborated by other sources."[2]

In 2012, Boxun falsely reported that actress Zhang Ziyi was paid $100 million to sleep with top Chinese officials. Zhang sued Boxun in a US court for defamation. In December 2013, Boxun settled the case after agreeing to pay an undisclosed amount to Zhang and issue a front-page apology.[4]

Boxun.com is blocked in mainland China.[5]

According to Foreign Policy, Chinese readers are comparatively more trusting of websites such as Boxun than Chinese state media as they "usually function as mouthpieces of the Communist Party."[6]

German leftist magazine konkret have suggested that the website is simply a tool of U.S. foreign policy.[7]