A post shared on Twitter purports White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said reporters received a “TikTok.”

Karine Jean-Pierre the White House Press Secretary just said”A Tick-Tock was sent out to all reporters.” Are you kidding me?? This is how our American reporters are getting their information?? 🤦‍♀️

— Angie (@angie_anson) February 6, 2023

Verdict: False

The quote is miscaptioned. A transcript of a briefing shared to the White House’s website indicates reporters received a chronological “tick tock” of events related to a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

Fact Check:

Jean-Pierre claimed during a press briefing Feb. 7 three suspected Chinese spy balloons flew over the U.S. during former President Donald Trump’s administration, Fox News reported. The claim follows the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the east coast after floating across the country for several days, according to ABC News.

The post claims Jean-Pierre sent out a TikTok to reporters to share information with reporters. “Karine Jean-Pierre the White House Press Secretary just said ‘A Tick-Tock was sent out to all reporters.’ Are you kidding me?? This is how our American reporters are getting their information??,” the tweet purports.

The claim is false. Jean-Pierre was referring to a “tick tock” line of events, which is typically prepared by the White House Press Office and then sent to reporters, Politico reported in 2009. Newspapers often rely on a “tick tock” when covering a major event to get the most up-to-date information, the outlet also indicated.

A transcript of the briefing shared to the White House’s website indicates reporters received a “tick tock” of events related to the emergence and eventual destruction of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. During the briefing, Jean-Pierre noted that the National Security Council sent reporters a detailed “tick tock” of events on how the situation involving the balloon was handled. (RELATED: Did Karine Jean-Pierre Leave A Press Conference After Being Asked About Classified Documents?)

“She said tick tock – as in a timeline that lays down how things happened. Not the application,” a White House spokesperson said of the claim involving Jean-Pierre in an email to Check Your Fact.

This is not the first time misinformation regarding the Chinese spy balloon has circulated online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim suggesting the balloon was actually part of a “deep state” operation.