Editor's note: Anthony Moretti is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

A scaled back but elegant Olympic opening ceremony took place in Beijing on the night of February 4. Recognizing the challenges of putting together the world's most pre-eminent international sports event during a pandemic, Chinese organizers provided the athletes and officials with simple and honorable festivities to launch the Winter Games. It was a pity that reporters from many Western news organizations missed it.

Do not misunderstand me: Representatives of many of these news agencies were in Beijing, and some might have been reporting from inside the Bird's Nest stadium, which hosted the Games' opening. But what those men and women saw certainly did not appear to match reality.

Readers of the Boston Globe were reminded that Beijing had hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008. And since then, China had become "more economically powerful, more technologically advanced, and decidedly more repressive. The rest of the world knows far more about the Middle Kingdom than it did in the summer of 2008, and much of it is far from flattering."

The Washington Post served up another example of negativity in its story about the warm-weather gear the athletes wore as they paraded into the stadium. Its readers were told that the U.S. team was wearing outfits designed by Ralph Lauren, and "the designer has stuffed the coats with science." Apparently, the fabric that makes up the coats can expand or contract depending upon the air temperature.

And the Chinese athletes? They "dressed for their day jobs as concierges at the Beijing JW Marriott. Why yes, they can get theater tickets for you." The attempt at sarcasm was inappropriate, but then again so is much of the reporting about China throughout the West.

The Guardian offered the headline "11 Key Moments from Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony" and sitting at number four was this: "The lead-up to these Games have been marked with political protests over the International Olympic Committee's decision to award the hosting rights to China. In London, as the ceremony took place, there was a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy. There were also protests against the Games in Istanbul, Berlin and New Delhi – the Olympics uniting people in a way that the organizers had not wanted.”

Silly me, I thought the story was supposed to be about moments from Beijing and the opening ceremony.

The BBC told its audience that "the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been criticized for awarding the Games to China because of the country's alleged human rights abuses."

Anyone who teaches Western-style journalism – someone such as me, for example – consistently reminds students that "alleged" can be interpreted as the journalist is making an accusation knowing the evidence is not there to support it. Much like the feeble word "claimed," "alleged" also can be interpreted to mean that the reporter does not actually believe something has happened or is happening.

So, which is it in this case? The answer does not matter because in the anti-China news narrative, restating accusations are part of the job. No news agency would dare risk the wrath of the public or advertisers by appearing to stray from the hostile news frame that exists about China.

This display of anti-China reporting is not surprising. It is now the norm – almost a requirement, if you ask me – for Western news organizations to find fault with China, no matter what it does. The use of lockdowns to tamp down the spread of coronavirus is "draconian." Because China refuses to play by Western rules, the U.S. and its allies must demonstrate "constant vigilance" in dealing with the country, and China's "belligerence" must be met with conviction.

Of course, do not dare ask if the people of Afghanistan or Iraq would consider U.S. policy toward the Muslim world as "draconian." Do not question whether China needs to show "constant vigilance" because of the swarm of U.S. military facilities that can be found throughout Asia. And heaven forbid there be serious questions about the "belligerence" the U.S. has shown across the globe in its roughly 246-year of history.

I think you and I get the point: Applauding the Chinese in February 2022 for working hard to make the Olympic Games special and as safe as possible for athletes, officials and, yes, journalists was a bridge too far for multiple Western news organizations. Mind you, roughly eight months ago, Western-based reporters were able to react favorably to Tokyo's attempts to create optimism, excitement and enthusiasm for the Summer Olympics.

Consider just one example. This is what Rolling Stone reported after the opening ceremony, which took place on July 23, 2021, in Japan: "The mood was decidedly hopeful, with officials from the International Olympic Committee thanking the host country for embracing the Games, while also paying tribute to Japan's healthcare workers, who continue to battle the pandemic on a daily basis."

In case you are wondering, the same Rolling Stone magazine reported that in Beijing "fans that have been screened by organizers have been allowed to attend" various Olympics events.

Let the Games begin, even as we hope Western media bias might at some day end.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)