Journalists are human and can't be neutral, so stop pretending they can be. The real problem isn't that news outlets have opinions, it's that audiences demand coverage that only confirms what they already believe, and that echo chambers and accusations of bias prevent anyone from understanding reality.
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No one else is going to say it? I'll say it. The CBC and NPR are both dangerous. Extreme left-wing woke networks run by a secret cabal of granola-eating, kombucha-brewing, climate-conscious drama majors who cry during Heritage Minutes. Fox News is a far-right fever dream wrapped in a bald eagle onesie, riding a mobility scooter through Walmart, shouting about gas stoves, waving a Bible in one hand and an assault rifle in the other, and still somehow managing to find a way to blame drag queens for the price of eggs. Left and right. Black and white. Wrong and right. Sound familiar? Things are so polarized right now. But for a moment, can we please all stop pretending that there is such a thing as neutral media? Like a magical place where journalists float above the fray like clouds above the friendly giant's castle, reporting facts without bias. Without baggage, without ever having read a book, without ever met a person or lived a single day in the real world. That place does not exist. When I worked at CBC, I used to explain it this way: there is no spray machine at the front door. We don't get our past history sprayed off us every morning when we enter the building. There's no coating they apply which makes us forget about our own lives and the tiny injustices we think about every day. Injustices that shape our view of the world and its politics. Journalists are people. People have opinions. They also have childhoods. Rent to pay. Exes at the grocery store. And a deep abiding hatred for whoever ate their lunch out of the office fridge. See? They're just like you. Only they think a wrinkled blazer counts as formal wear. Most work hard to make sure that they are being fair, and they do this work because they believe in the importance of informing the public. They do not do it for the money. That I can assure you. They're human. They're not robots. And in a world where AI is creating more than any of us realize, we should be grateful for their humanity. For their service. Every day, On this app, people scream that the NPR or the CBC is a liberal mouthpiece, or that the National Post and Fox News is a conservative rag, when really all they're doing is confessing their own bias. Because if the news doesn't mirror their worldview perfectly, it must be corrupt, right? The center, apparently, is just wherever they stand. Which means everyone else is either a socialist or a fascist, and they're the only ones clinging to the last shred of rationality like it's a butter tart at a prairie potluck. Balance isn't about pretending both sides are equal. Fairness doesn't mean giving airtime to every crank with a Zoom account and a conspiracy theory. It means working to represent reality as best as possible. With transparency, context, and a decent spell check. What's dangerous isn't that journalists have opinions. What's dangerous is pretending they don't. And then turning around and only watching the outlet that coddles yours. That's not being informed. That's curating your own little bubble and calling it reality. And grunting that journalists are biased because they're journalists just makes you look dumb. Like, we covered all this shit in grade 6 science. Social studies. Grade 6, dude. Still, mark my words, the comment sections of this video will be at least 30% Russian bots with the profile pictures of middle-aged white guys who stopped watching after the first 5 seconds, went right to the comments to angrily type out with their tiny little fingers, "Yeah, but the CBC is all libtards." Do me a favor. Please reply to these guys with the words, "Grade 6, dude." What we should be asking these guys next time they complain about media bias is, "Which media? Which story? And why are you mad? Is it because it's untrue? Or because it made you uncomfortable?" If you only want journalism to confirm what you already believe, you don't want journalism, you want a mirror. So, Beware of the political candidates and party leaders that keep screaming "bias" every time they don't like what they hear. These people are either incapable of understanding nuance and complexity, or worse, unwilling to. In their world, there's only right or wrong, left or right, black or white. And look, I'm sure that's a simpler place to live, but That's not how a real country works. Those who don't understand that basic fact are not people you should trust with governing. The media isn't your enemy because it doesn't cheer for your team, so put down the pitchfork and let the journalists do their job, bias, humanity, flaws, and all. Because if we don't, if we keep demonizing the people whose job it is to keep us informed and safe, then All we'll be left with is your uncle's Facebook page. And God help us all if that becomes the national record of truth.
