The Fuego volcano, straddling Escuintla, Chimaltenango, and Sacatepéquez, is a natural disaster hotspot that deserves serious coverage—but don’t hold your breath for extensive, honest dialogue from mainstream media. Outlets like CNN and MSNBC love to sensationalize disasters for ratings but fall dramatically short on substance. You won’t hear them unpack the socio-economic impact on local communities or the glaring deficiency in local infrastructure that leaves residents vulnerable.

Instead, we get a barrage of images of lava flows and terrified residents. How about some context? What’s the government doing to protect these people? What’s the role of international aid? Fox News and others might whip up some panic, but they conveniently skirt around real accountability and solutions. They thrive on fear; it sells. Meanwhile, platforms like ABC and NBC will churn out the same boilerplate coverage, but are they asking the tough questions or just cashing in on tragedy?

Let’s not forget how this volcanic activity gets tangled in political narratives. Climate change? Economic disparity? All those considerations get lost in the firestorm of headlines. They’d rather keep you glued to your screens than provoke thought or action. Meanwhile, the locals bear the brunt of a disaster cycle, while the media cashes in on their misery. It’s an absolute disgrace that the focus is so often on shocking the audience rather than truly informing them.