"But at what cost?" Western media's favorite trick against China

You will have noticed it before: whenever Western media feels they absolutely must report on a positive news story about China, they employ their slimiest trick, the "but at what cost?" trope. Basically, they will run a headline that is objectively good news, and then to make it sinister and negative, they'll add a "but at what cost?" on the end. Here are some real examples: China is getting smarter - but at what cost? (BBC News) China has avoided the grim US Covid toll. But at what cost? (The Guardian) China brings jobs to Ethiopia but at what cost? (BBC News) Honestly, it's pretty unprofessional and unethical, but some of the biggest Western mainstream media platforms still use this trick to this day. But what is that? Today, we'll go beyond the propaganda. This is Reports on China. I'm Andy Boreham in Shanghai. #china #butatwhatcost #mediabias