Ribbon-Cutting Celebrates Epoch Times Arizona Office’s Grand Opening

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Epoch Times' Arizona office in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 25, 2024. Courtesy of Tempe Chamber of Commerce

The Epoch Times recently opened a new office in Tempe, Arizona, and celebrated it with a Jan. 25 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The Epoch Times brings the truth that people don’t know that’s even out there,” office General Manager Diana Molovinsky said at the event. “For me, it’s bringing humanity together on the same baseline.”

Ms. Molovinsky said that a crucial aspect lacking in today’s media is a fair platform that offers unbiased and comprehensive information for news readers.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for The Epoch Times' Arizona office in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 25, 2024. Courtesy of Tempe Chamber of Commerce

Local readers attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Epoch Times' Arizona office in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 25, 2024. Courtesy of The Epoch Times's Arizona Office

“The debates will happen. They always have, historically, and I think that’s a fantastic thing. Everyone’s views are different, and I believe that’s part of what makes us human,” she said.

Ms. Molovinsky, who was born and raised in Arizona, emphasized the newspaper’s commitment to engaging with local readers and understanding their information needs—given that Phoenix is the fifth-most populated city in the country.

Local officials and representatives from the chamber of commerce were present at the event to show their support.

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar’s District Director Penny Pew presented an appreciation certificate from the congressman to The Epoch Times at the event, commending “its entrepreneurialism, fact-based reporting, and compelling voice.”

(R–L) Penny Pew, district director of Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) presents a Certificate of Appreciation to Epoch Times Arizona office General Manager Diana Molovinsky at the branch's ribbon cutting ceremony in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 25, 2024. Charlie Chang/The Epoch Times

Birth of The Epoch Times

The publication was founded in 2000, a year after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated a nationwide persecution against the spiritual discipline Falun Gong, which includes meditative exercises and moral teachings centered on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

By 1999, the practice had garnered an estimated 70 million to 100 million adherents in mainland China, and its popularity was viewed as a threat to the CCP, according to the New York-based nonprofit Falun Dafa Information Center.

John Tang, the founder of The Epoch Times, became aware that hundreds of thousands were being persecuted for such beliefs while, he has said, Western media has amplified CCP propaganda.

He decided to start a newspaper in an Atlanta basement—which is now read in more than 30 countries—to cover CCP’s human rights abuses.

“Along the way, we’ve been canceled by anybody and everybody before canceling was a thing in the U.S.,” said Siyamak Khorrami, general manager of The Epoch Times’ Southern California office, who attended the event.  “But we made it because of the values of the company. ... And this is not just a newspaper. This is a mission to bring traditional values back through our reporting, through telling the truth. We’re uplifting the society to bring morality back to show people what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Today, the publication is the fourth-largest paper by print subscriptions in the country, he said.

Penny Pew (C), district director of Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) speaks with Siyamak Khorrami, general manager of The Epoch Times' Southern California office at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Arizona office in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 25, 2024. Charlie Chang/The Epoch Times