The simplest method of smearing any organisation is to deliberately focus on some negative aspect of a country or person, while ignoring that same attribute in a country of organisation which is favoured. Those who push back on double standards are then accused of 'what-aboutism'. The technique has an inherent 'plausible deniability' aspect, in that the critic, most often a foreign journalist, makes a legitimate claim to being morally justified in pointing out the 'bad' in the world.

Not until we place reports side by side do we realise how skewed negative reporting can be. Consider this example, where reports of a rocket launched by China are set alongside the same outlet reporting on SpaceX.