Everyone is questioning the quality of news these days. Wondering and doubting if the institution is still good. So before giving the nod to the Canadian press, let’s take a look.
Bias
Fake news is when you lie about something, like Hillary has fangs. Everyone knows this is wrong but hiding the truth is equally as bad. With fake news you at least have a logical chance. When a reputable source fails to remain neutral on a delicate issue or intentionally leaves out some of the facts, it’s actually worse.
In the olden days, television gave you twenty minutes a day and within some outlets this practice remains. This format provides all the basics and news anchors never tip off how they vote. Granted, stories they tell and the order in which they appear are selected by management but the world was never intended to be perfect.
Old time newspapers acted the same way—mostly sticking to the beef. But they also offered editorial, where opinion intersects with fact. Yes, some papers leaned this way and some lent that, but they provided views from both sides to preserve balance. And anyone caught cheating from the ethical standard was usually called out. This practice has changed.
Canada vs US
In the world of 24-hour news and hundreds of agencies, American journalism has become a zoo. In Canada things have remained mainly the same and there’s a reason for that. Our parliamentary system forces more responsibility onto the press. You see, we usually have majority governments that can pretty much do as they wish. So the quality of our news is essential to maintaining a loyal opposition. The American system has checks and balances built right in. Their media doesn’t have to be fair.
Because of this internal watchdog, US media takes on more liberty to spice things up—acting like an eternal campaign machine. This makes them always left or right leaning and comfortable with the style of interlacing opinion among fact. But in Canada we simply cannot commit this sin. For the sake of our system, we need to sustain a credible press. And these two forms must stand apart. News is news and editorial is just that—free opinion
Summary
Part of the trick is understanding where journalism fits. The primary intention isn’t to educate. Its job is to keep you up-to-date. So if you hold basic understandings, you’ll find it useful. If not, you need to buy some books. There is no substitute for a genuine education.
If you enjoy hearing about America, get it from multiple sources. It’s not like they mix up the weather or lie about sports, but their written word on politics is always loaded with bias (which says Americans should be getting their news from us).
Note: Down there you hear the term “left-wing media” but that’s not totally true. Their left has the majority of TV and newsprint, but conservatives kick butt on talk radio and YouTube. So Americans get ample brainwashing from both sides.