Read the lead and the headline:

California’s coronavirus catastrophe reached a staggering new level Monday as the nation’s most populous state recorded more than 30,000 deaths since the pandemic started nearly a year …

Source: California virus deaths top 30,000 after deadliest weekend on record | NewsNation Now

Then look at the data – new cases are dropping, which is good news. Deaths always lag new cases.

New Cases –> Hospitalizations –> ICU bed counts –> Deaths

Thus, as the situation is improving, the news transitions from the daily case count to the next metric that is scary. Indeed, the story itself does not even mention that daily new cases peaked weeks ago.

Here’s a look from the California state Covid dashboard showing that daily new cases reached a peak weeks ago.

New patient hospitalizations are also slowing – all of this is GREAT NEWS

Covid-19 has been perfect for bad reporting.

They always start with “daily positive test cases” rising.

Once that has peaked, they focus on hospitalizations.

Once that has peaked, they then focus on deaths.

And at no time do they mention that the earlier metrics have improved – because it is apparently written in the AP Style Guide that all reports must focus exclusively on the negative.

Remember when the midwest was a disaster zone for Covid? We received saturation coverage until it quietly vanished. No one can explain why but daily new case counts in the midwest states have plummeted to 1/5th to 1/10th what they were when they peaked last October. But the news never reported on this good news – news only reports on bad things happening.