This absurd episode of car-chasing dramatics is a perfect case study in how corporate media wants to package a wild story. A Missouri man, Gavin Thor Lundgren, decides to take the leap—literally—during a police chase, exiting a moving car to plunge off a bridge into a lake. Now, before we dig deeper, let’s ask ourselves: why does this incident capture headlines while the underlying issues of crime, mental health, and law enforcement tackle get ignored?

Networks like CNN and MSNBC will spin this tale into a “crazy crime wave” narrative, suggesting it’s emblematic of a societal collapse or the need for more police resources. Meanwhile, platforms like Fox News may present it as an outlier, using it to illustrate their points about growing lawlessness. Neither side is addressing the core issues or asking why this man felt that diving into a lake was his best escape.

But let’s not kid ourselves; this isn’t about the man as much as it is about clicks. Media outlets thrive on sensationalism. They’ll broadcast the video ad nauseam, dissecting every “crazy” move Lundgren made, but will evade the deeper conversation about our failing mental health systems and the punitive culture that criminalizes desperation.

We can do better than this tabloid-level news cycle. Stop framing these incidents as entertainment and start digging into real storytelling that brings awareness to the societal decay this type of behavior represents. Our media has a responsibility—a duty to challenge the narratives and highlight the human stories behind the chaos.