Figure skaters hug Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen at the figure skating exhibition gala on February 20, 2022 in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/Global Times

The US-led smear campaign targeting the Beijing Winter Olympic Games started long before the event kicked off, but anti-China forces are insatiable. The Western, especially the American, media outlets have gone hysterical with their efforts to push the negative narratives. 

The New York Times is a typical representative. The propaganda has been challenged by athletes who shared their first-hand experiences from the Games. However, the media has been reluctant to accept truth. NYT tried to portray a successful Winter Olympics as a result of China's "selective edit" because of "an arsenal of digital tools that are giving China's narrative arguably greater reach and more subtlety than ever before." The data of how many Americans cheered for the Games has slapped the US media in the face. 

They have even pointed their guns at mascot Bing Dwen Dwen. But no matter how hard they tried, they could not change the fact that a great number of people around the world love Bing Dwen Dwen and have enjoyed the story of Beijing 2022. 

The Washington Post had to admit that, "The TV ratings for the Winter Olympics in Beijing aren't just bad - they're historically terrible…But the widely reported rating decline obscures another story: The Games may actually be more popular than ever among Americans."  

Such stark contrast is easy to understand. The TV broadcast partner in the US, NBC, has so many ulterior motives in the telecasts, but the spectators didn't buy it. 

This was also the epitome of the declining influence of the US' anti-China media. NYT is increasingly criticized for distorting the truth. Although NYT has been using sensational edits of China-related reports to be eye-catching, fewer and fewer people in the world take the outlet as seriously as they used to. 

The US elites are sensitive when dealing with China. Their narrative about China puts the country under the framework and logic of strategic competition. They have been trying in the past years to form a consensus in public opinion that China is hostile to the US, and have engaged in attacks against China based on such propaganda. 

They see it as an unforgivable move to spread a positive image of China in the US. So when perhaps the largest-ever number of Americans watched the Games and thus perceived the genuine reality of China, the elites lost in their morbid mentality again. This is a reflection of those so-called elites' fragile self-esteem and the fact that China's influence is rising. 

Anti-China elites take for granted that their campaign to stain China is successful. However, their malicious intent has repeatedly backfired - such frustration has even thrown them into self-doubt. The US media, which has been losing its credibility and lacks confidence, still believes it is exceptional and can do anything at will. So media professionals cannot accept their biased reports being seen through and they cannot get used to other countries holding an equal footing in the field of public opinion. 

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn