An associate shared with me that he had spent considerable time in recent years searching for news organizations that did not pick sides on key issues, and instead focused on facts and logic. He said that he scoured the Internet but could not find a single news site anywhere on the planet that did not clearly engage in agenda-driven journalism … until BIG-Media.ca came along.
I can already hear some of you saying, “Oh, yeah – what about the New York Times?” Or the Washington Post? Or the Telegraph, or the Times (of London), or the Guardian, or the Toronto Star, or the Globe & Mail?
Sorry, folks, but they have all sold out to the Almighty Dollar, the Almighty COVID, or the Almighty Climate Change. In most cases, they sold their souls to the entire Holy Trinity of Journalistic Juggernauts.
News coverage does not have to be divisive, but it almost always packs a polarizing punch because of the sensationalism that comes with unrelenting pursuit of eyeballs and revenue.
Greed and fear are a very potent and profitable combination for media companies. Unfortunately, there seems to be an inverse relationship between media profits and the general intelligence of the populace.
Our media rivals are far more interested in maximizing readership than educating. It is a plain, simple, and very sad fact.
Objective news coverage with critical context does not keep people on the edge of their seats and glued to their screens, waiting for the next shocking tale of doom. Therefore, it is terrible for advertising and subscription revenue.
Editorial objectivity can also get in the way of government funding, but that is a topic for another day.
To truly have objective news coverage, you need to have ownership and journalists who buy into the idea that documenting truth is more important than money, fame, and power. You also need strict editorial guidelines, transparency, and, ideally, extremely intelligent and ethical writers.
The big issues can indeed be covered objectively, and this is how it is done:
Abortion law – The demise of Roe v. Wade – breaking down the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case
COVID-19 – A look back at causes of death in the first year of COVID-19
Biomedical ethics – Mounting COVID frustration is no reason to abandon fundamental principles
Climate change – Climate change and energy: context for the great debate
Energy transition – What the world needs now is energy education and pragmatic energy policy
Emergencies Act – The Canadian prime minister’s emergency act
Now, I am not saying that our news coverage is perfect, nor that it is entirely free of bias. But our approach – focused on verifiable facts and logical interpretation – is effective, and it is needed
