When we talk about the mountaineering feats of the renowned climber who conquered the world’s 14 highest peaks in a jaw-dropping six months back in 2019, the glorification from networks like CNN and NBC is almost suffocating. You’d think this person just discovered the cure for COVID with the fanfare surrounding their achievements. But let’s be real: why the mightiest peaks, fraught with peril and extreme risk, warrant the primetime spotlight instead of more pressing global issues? It’s almost as if the media needs a distraction to keep eyes off bigger and uglier truths—like the crumbling state of the economy or rampant crime rates.

Meanwhile, Fox News, in its typical fashion, may frame this adventure as some rugged, all-American triumph, pushing the narrative that grit and determination can conquer anything—except, of course, the everyday problems Americans are actually facing. By overshadowing societal issues with tales of adventure, they effectively pacify the masses, crafting an image of a great nation unburdened by reality.

The irony is delicious: while we celebrate physical limits being pushed, fewer are daring to push the limits of critical thinking. These networks are not your friends; they’re doing anything but informing. They’re perpetuating narratives—packaged and sold like reality TV, all while leaving the grave issues of today’s world under the icy rubble of Mount Everest.