Commentary: How does U.S. manipulate public opinion?

BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Uncle Sam has a particular way of storytelling. He can hype a trivial matter into a big issue or play down a severe matter as forgettable.

Washington's recent handling of the Chinese balloon incident is an excellent example of the former: exaggeration.

Although the appearance of a Chinese civilian unmanned airship in U.S. airspace was unintended and unexpected, Washington intentionally portrayed it as a "spy balloon." It was even a sensational topic in President Joe Biden's recent State of the Union address.

Like a sledgehammer cracking a nut, Washington resorted to using a fighter plane and missile to shoot down a non-threatening balloon. Call it a political farce.

"A lot of balloons are flying over the Earth every day. Does the U.S. want to shoot them all down?" Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, asked at a China session of the 59th Munich Security Conference.

Washington Post columnist Max Boot published an opinion piece saying the frenzy over China's airship is dangerous and unwarranted. "What concerns me is the hysterical overreaction on the part of so many Americans to the balloon's progress."

Apart from exaggeration, Uncle Sam is also skillful in understating.

There have been at least four train derailments in the United States in the past two weeks, including on Feb. 3 when a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in the small Ohio town of East Palestine. Video showed smoke spreading over the accident site and polluted rivers nearby.

Frequent train derailment accidents have exposed long-lasting transportation problems in the United States -- aging railway lines, overdue maintenance, the intervention of interest groups, jagged construction standards ... the list goes on.

However, American officials downplayed the horrific incident.

After the Feb. 3 derailment accident in Ohio, the U.S. government insisted that its response to the accident was rapid and effective, swearing that local air and water quality were safe. It neglected to acknowledge that residents suffered from coughs, headaches, burning eyes and other symptoms.

Even though Ohio Governor Mike DeWine insisted the town's air quality was safe, confusion and distrust remained among residents and environmental experts, according to a BBC report.

Uncle Sam is also good at playing dumb. Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting that the United States is likely the perpetrator of the North Stream explosion. U.S. officials and the mainstream media have maintained silence on the issue.

Whether through exaggeration or understating, the United States has plenty of tools at its disposal to mislead and manipulate the American public.