A film released by the FBI and National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), allegedly based on a real case, fabricates a Global Times website article and smears China for recruiting former US intelligence officials to have access to classified information.
The Nevernight Connection, a 26-minute video inspired by what the NCSC called “true events,” depicts Chinese intelligence services recruiting a former US Intelligence Community official via a fake profile on a professional networking site for information.
The video was released on September 30. In a press release, the NCSC said the movie aims at “increasing awareness of foreign intelligence threats on professional networking sites and other social media platforms.”
The film also shows a screenshot of an article “published” on the Global Times’ website at 9:08 pm on June 19, 2019, with the title “US Cold War Mentality Leads to Another Baseless Accusation of ‘Chinese Espionage.’” According to the screenshot, the story’s source is AFP.
However, there is no such story published on the website of the Global Times. At 9 pm on June 19, 2019, the story that actually was uploaded on the Global Times website was about US authorities seizing 16 tons of cocaine in a historic drug bust.
