U.S. Shoots Down Spy Balloon
We ran the numbers:
There are 2,102 news articles covering this topic.
15% (321) are left-leaning, 39% (815) are centrist, and 46% (966) are right-leaning.
On Monday, the aerial spy balloon of alleged Chinese origin continues to spark debates on national security. Left-leaning articles highlight that U.S.-Chinese relations are tense after the Secretary of State’s visit to Beijing was canceled, while right-leaning articles highlight that China claims that another one of its surveillance balloons accidentally entered Latin American and Caribbean skies.
USA Today published a centrist article reporting that the Department of Defense did not find it necessary to shoot down the spy balloon as it was approaching Alaska in late January as it did not pose a military threat. The balloon, which measured 200-feet across and was shot down Saturday, has sparked outrage on Capitol Hill and piqued the interest of Americans all across the country.
A left-leaning article by The Washington Post highlighted that Monday was supposed to be a day of improved relations between the U.S. and China predicated on Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing which has since been canceled. Blinken was slated to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease tensions between the two nations, but his visit was delayed, according to White House officials, after angry words were exchanged on the topic of the spy balloon.
A right-leaning article by Fox News highlighted that China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that another one of its spy balloons which was detected over Latin America and the Caribbean was thrown off course by weather—the same reasoning it gave for the balloon that hovered over the U.S. The article highlighted that some U.S. lawmakers and analysts have expressed doubts that the balloon “accidentally” entered the U.S.’s skies.
From the center
DOD did not think the spy balloon was a military threat when it was first detected
USA Today