The plan, backed by at least Rmb30bn ($4.4bn, €3.3bn, £3bn) in government funds, comes as Beijing looks back on a year of public relations disasters.
The first step would be the launch of a second national English-language newspaper by Global Times, an affiliate of the Communist Party's mouthpiece People's Daily, in April, observers said.
Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, is preparing to enter the television business. A person close to Xinhua in Europe said that Xinhua, along with bureaus in other news centres abroad, was expected to be expanded to accommodate television. A similar global push is under way at China Central Television (CCTV), the main state broadcaster.