The news of Mia Bieniemy being shot is harrowing and unfortunately all too common in today’s world. But as soon as the Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid delivered a positive health update, mainstream outlets like ESPN and NBC Sports promptly pivoted from the gravity of the situation to a triumphant narrative of relief. Really? We’re supposed to simply celebrate Reid’s update while glossing over the traumatic event that led to it? This is classic corporate media spin—focusing on the feel-good aspect while burying the hard truths behind violence in America.

Let’s not kid ourselves; these media giants love to propagate a narrative that grants them emotional clicks rather than providing a deeper analysis of societal issues at hand. CNN and MSNBC jumped in to highlight the emotional toll on the team, but aren’t we just papering over the real problems? There’s a gap between the feel-good juxtaposing sports optimism with the grim realities of violence that simply cannot be ignored.

The corporate media wants us to focus on the coach’s “relief” while neglecting to hold a mirror to a culture that breeds such violence. It’s a distraction tactic! The people deserve more than sanitized updates; they need to confront the issues that plague our communities. When will we demand substance over spectacle?