Source (Sixth Tone) is a Chinese state-funded soft-power outlet. That should not be relevant to this report, which is simply decent journalism.

This is always relevant, one reason being that they intentionally suppress certain information to spread propaganda and propagnada only. It’s the outlet’s sole raison d’être. This so-called “soft power” comes from the same dictatorial political system. It is an inherently bad and unreliable source and has nothing to do with decent journalism.

This is a Wikipedia link, and even if it’s indeed not like Xinhua or the Global Times, it is pure propaganda under the strict Chinese party-state’s control.

Your comparison with BBC and others is (as you probably know?) invalid. These journalists can, for example, criticize their governments which they frequently do.

Sixth Tone can’t do that. If the Shanghai, China-based media outlet would publish anything that is against Beijing’s narratives, it would be immediately censored (and the journalists may face severe punishments). But I guess you know that yourself.

Sixth Tone is a Chinese state-owned propaganda outlet published by Shanghai United Media Group.