#4: Chinese Spy Balloon

 A big topic in politics recently has been the Chinese Spy Balloon shot down over the coast of South Carolina, including three other unidentified objects that were shot down by the military. Many were critical of the Biden administrations response time to taking down the object.

While most news outlets followed the story of the Pentagon, that they were gathering information and did not want to release plans to the public about the handling of the situation. The President stated he ordered the take down days previous and was advised against shooting the object down due to potential harm to civilians. 

In spite of the press briefings, Fox News host Rachel Duffy suggested that the take down of the balloon was being stalled due to the Biden family's connection to China. (link). She questioned "why would it take so long, is it possible our president was getting permission from China?". Despite this being an absurd thing to insinuate a sitting president did, it is completely unfounded and contradictory to all other information that was giving. During the segment, Duffy did not backtrack her statement or provide viewers with an accurate depiction of the incident and the information that had been provided to the public. Instead, she chose to use her own bias to misinform an entire audience. 

CNN, though viewed as left leaning by most Republicans, attempts to remain nonpartisan in its reporting. Despite having partisan hosts (link 1, 2). Their reporting of the balloon focused on providing its reader with statements from the president, the department of defense, and the Pentagons press secretary. The information provided was accurate and came from a reliable, accurate source. 

The difference in the way these stories were reported is important. One viewer watched Fox to receive the news, but instead received an opinion. They were not provided with accurate facts about the lead up to the operation or why it had taken so long. It fuels further conspiratorial thinking and is not aiding in accurately educating the American public on political and governmental happenings. The CNN viewer received accurate information, backed by a source, without the opinions of others being forced into the segment. Though China is a source of political contentions in America, the shooting down of a spy balloon should not be considered a political opinion piece when reporting. It is important that ALL Americans receive the correct information in order to make better informed decisions.