How does the UNBROKEN investigation work?

Journalist Steve Lance tests each claim about Shen Yun against available evidence. He interviews the doctors the media did not contact, examines medical records the media declined, traces the digital trail, identifies sources, and confronts the reporter.

Lance hosts Capitol Report on NTD and had covered Shen Yun for years before the New York Times published its series. The allegations conflicted with his direct experience. Rather than arguing from opinion, he built an evidence chain — each step documented on camera with named sources.

The investigation follows a clear methodology: verify medical claims, examine what evidence was offered and refused, follow the digital amplification trail, trace physical operations, connect to the strategic source, and confront.

What did the medical investigation reveal?

Dr. Damon Noto, a sports medicine physician trained at Cornell who has treated Shen Yun dancers since 2010, states on camera that the allegations do not match his experience. The New York Times never contacted him.

Noto describes his credentials in the film: residency at Cornell, Columbia, and New York Presbyterian, fellowship at New England Baptist. His staff found the allegations absurd because they had treated performers the day before the article ran.

The documentary shows Ying Chen presenting medical records — MRIs, surgical documentation, ACL reconstruction records — that performers voluntarily provided. The Times was offered these records and interviews with injured performers. They published without including any of it.

How were the fake social media accounts discovered?

Journalist Petr Svab found that the first Times article about Shen Yun became their most shared story on X in over a year, out of 92,000 articles. Eighty percent of the sharing accounts had zero followers and auto-generated names.

The pattern was unmistakable: page after page of bot accounts with no followers and no activity beyond reposting the Shen Yun articles. When Svab's team reported the findings, X launched its own investigation and removed thousands of CCP-linked accounts.

The discovery connected media coverage to a state-sponsored amplification operation — content creation followed by artificial virality followed by physical deployment through paid protesters.

What happened when the journalist confronted the New York Times?

Steve Lance approaches a Times reporter and asks why the reporting did not include interviews with treating physicians. The reporter declines to answer specific questions.

The confrontation, captured in full in the documentary, is presented without editorial commentary. Lance asks a direct, factual question. The reporter responds that the articles were published over a year ago and that he will not answer specific questions.

The exchange gains its weight from the evidence the documentary has already presented: the doctor who was never called, the records that were offered and refused, the bot accounts, the source with documented hostility toward the Shen Yun community.

Key takeaways

• Steve Lance's investigation follows a transparent, step-by-step methodology captured on camera.
• Dr. Damon Noto, who treated Shen Yun dancers for over a decade, was never contacted by the New York Times.
• Medical records including MRIs and surgical documentation were offered to the Times and declined.
• Eighty percent of accounts amplifying the Times' coverage were CCP-linked bots removed by X.
• The Times reporter declines to answer questions about the investigation's findings.

Frequently asked questions

Did the New York Times respond to the UNBROKEN investigation?

In the documentary, Steve Lance calls a Times reporter. The reporter declines to answer specific questions about why the coverage did not include treating physicians or the offered medical records. The exchange is captured in full in the film.

Who is Petr Svab in UNBROKEN?

Petr Svab is an investigative journalist who discovered the social media manipulation campaign. His analysis revealed that the Times' Shen Yun articles were amplified by thousands of CCP-linked bot accounts on X, which the platform subsequently removed after investigation.

Is the UNBROKEN investigation credible?

The investigation uses named sources, on-camera interviews, documented records, and a transparent methodology. Each claim is supported by identified evidence. The documentary presents this material and allows viewers to assess its credibility themselves.

The investigation in UNBROKEN raises questions about media accountability and foreign influence. The official website provides additional context and resources for those who want to examine the evidence further.

Watch UNBROKEN to see the full investigation unfold on camera. The evidence is documented, the sources are named, and the conclusions are yours to draw. Available now.