Celeste Rivas’ family is rightly outraged, and who can blame them? D4vd’s lawyers stepping into the arena to suggest, against all reason, that a 14-year-old suicide victim might have had a hand in her own demise is a grotesque tactic straight out of the corporate media playbook. CNN and NBC, in particular, love to twist narratives to fit a woke agenda, ever quick to obscure reality instead of shedding light on the dark issues at play.

The defense planting seeds of doubt—suggesting Celeste could’ve harmed herself—mimics the very troubling trend we see in mainstream narratives. Instead of grieving a young life lost, they’re hoping to divert blame, a tactic reminiscent of the media’s favored narratives that peddle victim-blaming whenever it suits a particular viewpoint. D4vd’s team referenced text messages where Celeste allegedly threatened him. But why isn’t the focus on the systemic problems surrounding mental health in adolescents, which media often gloss over for more sensationalist angles? It’s almost as if certain outlets relish in casting young women as the authors of their own suffering rather than products of an unforgiving culture.

It’s time for the mainstream media to abandon the low-hanging fruit of sensationalism and actually do their job—investigating the culture that allows this kind of tragedy to unfold without accountability. The Rivas family deserves more than an attempt at victim-shaming; they deserve justice.