China's CGTN news channel on DStv and StarTimes's StarSat shamelessly censors its coverage of the chaotic scenes and protests in Hong Kong while its Africa Live bulletin does pandering coverage of how Chinese business and politicians shine in Africa.

On Wednesday China's global TV news channel, CGTN (DStv 409 / StarSat 266), further damaged what was left of its credibility as a news service by completely ignoring any news regarding the massive public protests in Hong Kong.

CGTN again revealed its shocking and deliberate news bias and active censorship of news the Chinese government doesn't like by giving zero coverage and making no mention of the protests in Hong Kong that got shown everywhere else on Wednesday.

Other global TV news channels from BBC World News, Sky News, Al Jazeera, CNN International and France24 - all available in South Africa and across Africa to viewers through pay-TV services like MultiChoice's DStv, StarTimes and it's StarSat subsidiary in South Africa, as well as others - all covered the protests in Hong Kong.

While CGTN censored the event and did absolutely nothing, they all showed the chaotic scenes, had live visuals, and had various filed stories from reporters in the Hong Kong streets all through Wednesday.

In sharp and highly-embarrassing contrast, CGTN completely blocked out any news and reporting of the protest with no stories on the CGTN website about the protests, not a single mention on the CGTN news broadcasts, and nothing on CGTN social media, pretending as if a big global news event was simply not happening.

CGTN's surreal and shameless censorship and news manipulation continued on Wednesday evening when it's flagship prime time programme, Africa Live, for African audiences and done from Nairobi Kenya with news anchor, Richard Nta.

Africa Live, just like the rest of CGTN, likewise censored the news with no coverage of the protests in Hong Kong and not a single mention during the hour-long Wednesday bulletin.

On Wednesday dramatic scenes unfolded and was broadcast worldwide - except for on CGTN - when violent clashes broke out in the streets after the aggressive Hong Kong police tried to stop protesters storming the city’s parliament and then started firing rubber bullets and teargas on the thousands of protesters.

Hong Kong citizens are against the government's plan to change existing laws to agreed to allow for the extradition of people to China.

Instead of showing African viewers the actual news and what is happening in Hong Kong, CGTN in a surreal display of how far it has become a Chinese government propaganda channel, broadcast insert after insert on Africa Live about how well China's politicians and Chinese business are working with Africa.

Chinese politicians were shown in inserts beaming and shaking hands with Ethiopian counterparts, after which Chinese politicians cozied up to other African leaders in other stories.

Then in a pandering insert, Africans in tribal gear had to dance for Chinese dignitaries in suits on the tarmac in Nairobi, Kenya, in an "infomercial-news" insert celebrating new Chinese flights between Changsha in China and Nairobi in Africa.

That was followed by a story of how wonderful Chinese brands are and how well Chinese brands are doing in Africa and globally.

None of the Africa Live stories regarding China contained any criticism or any actual balance, as the litany of fluff pieces to show how great and wonderful China is, were broadcast as "news" in an unending stream of inserts showing off China as Africa's big benefactor.


ALSO READ: TV CRITIC's NOTEBOOK. Wednesday night I deleted China's CGTN app from my phone after its shocking censorship and news bias became very clear - here's why you should too.

ANN7 changes to Afro Worldview on MultiChoice's DStv with Richard Nta and Flo Letoaba as new morning co-anchors, will no longer report that anyone 'died' since people only 'pass on', says owner Mzwanele Manyi.

On Monday morning the brand-damaged ANN7 (DStv 405) rolled out its new look as Afro Worldview on the same channel number and with the same set, but a new logo on DStv - with owner Mzwanele Manyi who said he won't interfere with the "new" channel's editorial decisions but then said it was decided that henceforth Afro Worldview in its news reporting won't say someone died but always use passed on.

Although name-changed to try and distance itself from its disastrous, often-mocked and blooper-filled on-air image, as well as its history of bias and links with the now-notorious Gupta family, MultiChoice will still dump Afro Worldview on 20 August from its DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

With a set design that's now incongruent to its new logo and colours, the gold-and-black themed Afro Worldview launched with new morning co-anchors Richard Nta and Flo Letoaba who both previously worked for the competing TV-news channel eNCA (DStv 403).

Afro Worldview that according to its contract with MultiChoice is supposed to supply publicity material and talent photos, schedule information and programming updates to both the pay-TV operator and the press, didn't issue any press releases about anchor, line-up or programming block changes to the media ahead of today's rebranding exercise.

Mzwanele Manyi, the Afrotone Media Holdings chairperson, on Monday morning in an appearance on Afro Worldview, said that the channel will have a new editorial policy "and it's going to be a major shift from all the criticism that we've been receiving from a whole range of people".

He said Afro Worldview wants to be "the trusted voice of Africa".

Mzwanele Manyi said the rebrand from ANN7 to Afro Worldview is part of a plan to steer the TV news channel in a new direction with around 500 people working in the news group "whose jobs are going to go if this channel shuts down."

"So all of this fanfare and everything is an effort to say to South Africa, this channel cannot shut down. We have done everything that needs to be done to make sure that this channel does not shut down. We have cut a clean break with the Guptas. We don't owe any Guptas anything."

Following eNCA's lead where Mapi Mhlangu is the managing director and editor-in-chief, Mzwanele Manyi announced that the channel will have "a black, an African, and a woman who is going to be the new editor of the channel".

About Afro Worldview Mzwanele Manyi said "I'm just the owner. So I don't want to get involved in editorial policies. That's one of the major decisions. We're going to draw a strong line between owners and editors."

Mzwanele Manyi later in the same interview then announced as owner an editorial policy change, saying that "one of the things that you will never hear again, ever, in this channel, is when a person has passed on, you hear 'a person died'. With us as Africans, a person does not die, a person passes on."

"So let it be clear to everyone, even if you say I'm interfering with the editorial policy, but here, because we are Africans, we must never say a person died. A person passes on; an animal died. That kind of a thing."