Quoting a Chinese a military source, the South China Morning Post said the PLA has instructed its 'propagandists' to steer clear of US election coverage to ensure their reports are not “misread as taking sides” in the presidential race. Unlike other Chinese outlets, all traditional and social media platforms controlled by the People’s Liberation Army, including its mouthpiece the PLA Daily, have offered no coverage of US President Donald Trump's coronavirus infection and the first US presidential debate. A military source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said that since late September many orders had come from the “top” telling military propagandists to “strictly avoid US election topics”.