Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez being jeered by earthquake-affected residents is a stark reminder of how bureaucratic indifference creates a rift between leaders and the people they claim to serve. While corporate media like CNN spins their narratives, they often sidestep the real-life consequences of catastrophic governance that the Venezuelan people are enduring. Instead, they focus on clickbait stories that suit their agenda while neglecting the everyday suffering of citizens.

Take note of how MSNBC might frame Rodriguez as a “controversial figure,” but gloss over the systemic failures that have led to her unpopularity. It’s always the same song and dance: politically charged and sensationalized reporting that performs a disservice to the people trapped under crooked regimes. Meanwhile, Fox News often takes the opportunity to jump on Venezuela’s misfortunes to bolster their own narratives about socialism, while ignoring how leaders like Rodriguez embody the very duplicity of the systems they critique.

What’s missing in this coverage? Critical examination. There’s no exploration of potential Western interference in Venezuela or a nuanced understanding of how the challenges affect daily life. Instead, the focus remains on soundbites. Rodriguez is booed? Oh, let’s run that story into the ground, but hold on to a critical lens and ask why she’s there in the first place.

In a world where outrage is monetized, it’s time for media consumers to demand more than empty headlines—demand the truth beneath the chaos.