Ask HN: Was the risk of the recent rocket reentry played up for other reasons?

NOTE: I really do not want to start a flamewar. Nationalistic opinions are uninteresting.

Seeing as:

* China has been doing this for a while, but it was not publicized until now

* China is becoming a geopolitical enemy of the West

* The story seemed to spread like wildfire in many places (which just means it went viral and is circumstantial)

It really seems like there is further reason to this. That, or media knows it could score easy clicks.

It's not exactly the only instance of this happening. I'm just stating the obvious but it does make me think. Who exactly, if anybody, is doing this and how?