Here we go again. Kuwait’s electricity and water plant is ablaze, coupled with claims from Iran that U.S. strikes have targeted an under-construction nuclear power plant. But how do the mainstream media outlets like CNN and Fox News report on this? Spoiler alert: it’s all about the spin. CNN will likely frame this as “escalating tensions” in the region, pushing the narrative that the U.S. is on a path to provoke yet another costly conflict. Their journalists will drape their reporting in flowery language and carefully-selected quotes from officials, but where’s the real analysis? Where’s the emphasis on the consequences of foreign meddling?

Meanwhile, Fox News might take a different tack. They’ll portray Iran as the perennial villain, heroically defending its sovereignty against relentless U.S. aggression, while painting the conflict in black-and-white terms. It’s as if they believe if they repeat “Iran’s a threat” enough times, we’ll just swallow it whole. Yet they gloss over the complexities and the realities faced by everyday citizens in these countries.

You have to wonder whose agenda they’re really pushing. Is it the interests of giant defense contractors or simply a good storyline to keep viewers glued to their screens? The truth is, in the fog of war, both sides are masters of misdirection and both corporate networks play their roles flawlessly. We’d do well to remember that peace reporting is as profitable as war reporting, though far less popular.