Here we go again. The mainstream media is giving us yet another soft-focus spin on historical atrocities, and it stinks to high heaven. The recent coverage surrounding Nelson Haase, one of those convicted in the brutal kidnap and murder of folk singer Victor Jara post-Chile’s 1973 military coup, shows the establishment’s ideological blinders. You’d think a major human rights issue would generate outrage across all platforms—Fox News to CNN—but instead, we get this tepid recitation of facts.

CNN tries to paint it as a quaint historical footnote, tapping into the nostalgia of folk music, while glossing over the gut-wrenching violence that was state-sponsored terror. The company drowns out real suffering with easy listening vibes. Meanwhile, Fox News has the audacity to frame the narrative as just another chapter in the story of leftist dictatorships while neglecting the layers of moral complexity. It’s almost as if both networks are playing a game of ‘who can minimize the tragedy the most.’

What both fail to grasp—or choose to ignore—is the depth of human experience in these events. Jara was not just a folk singer; he was a voice for the oppressed. Using him as a mere pawn in the narrative chess game tells us all we need to know about the corporate media’s priorities: sensationalism over truth, and ratings over real stories that deserve our empathy.