Let’s get real about the latest circus involving Gojek founder Nadiem Makarim, who’s now facing scrutiny for a laptop deal during his stint as Indonesia’s education minister. It’s amusing how corporate media twists this story into a frenzy of scandal, while conveniently glossing over the fact that the encumbrances and inefficiencies in Indonesia’s educational technology were decades in the making. Outfits like CNN and The New York Times are relishing the drama, framing it as a downfall worth salivating over, all while neglecting to question the systemic issues that allowed this situation to fester.

Want to talk about a narrative? Look no further than how those mainstream outlets skirt around the ramifications of political corruption in a broader context. Instead of addressing why Makarim found himself in this predicament, they indulge in sensationalism that distracts readers from real accountability. It’s classic media manipulation—make a scapegoat of one man while the institutional rot continues to thrive. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking this is about justice. It’s about pushing an agenda.

Moreover, it’s rich to see these same networks crying foul over a laptop deal when we know full well they’ve turned a blind eye to monumental waste and fraud in government contracts globally. If they were genuinely concerned with integrity, they would hold a mirror to the whole system instead of just this one guy. But then again, that would mean less clickbait and fewer juicy headlines.