This is a big hit for journalism about China. A lot of very good quality reporting on (among others) Xinjiang came from these people. We will all be much less informed about China in the future.

The subtle shift in confidence that this action implies is that China is confident in itself after "beating" the virus while the west is struggling.

A "media war" between China and the US might be worse than a trade war. While a trade war is just about numbers, this will be about ideology and there will be no middle ground.