Canadian News Media

[LightingGuy]

Last year I started using Google News to get all of my news. Prior to that I had basically just looked at the Star and CBC. Now I get articles from all the outlets including the Post, Sun, Star, CBC, Globe and Mail, TVO (a personal fave), and many more across the country/world.

One thing that I find interesting is how the different outlets will put a spin on the exact same story to fit the bias of their audience/funders. I find that it is extremely beneficial for me to read news stories from multiple outlets on the same story, to get to the root of it, and figure out what actually happened, and then form my opinion.

Case in point: An NDP MP put in a motion to reduce some of the PM's powers. Here are some of the headlines that followed from the various outlets:


As you can see, the stances are all over the place. From tame (CBC) to extreme (National Post).

So this thread is an attempt for all of us to help each other get to the bottom of major stories, to get through the spin, and understand what is actually happening. When a new story breaks, I think we should help each other by posting multiple articles from different outlets on the same story here, so everyone (including myself) gets multiple perspectives.

Let me know if you think this is a good idea, or not.

[thewave46]

The National Post ones amuse me in their contradictory stances.

1. The PM’s a dictator and that’s bad.
2. The NDP is trying to undo the dictator system and that’s bad.

[Wigs]

When it comes to shilling for Canada's right wing, National Post reminds me of Roman Roy from the HBO show Succession. Bedfellows to the end.
The hype they are giving Danielle Smith (while accusing Alberta's NDP of fooling voters) for fear that NDP might retake control of Alberta is something else.

[LightingGuy]

I find I agree with the Financial Post about 90% of the time. However the NP's political articles I agree with roughly 50% of the time. As a paper they are definitely a lot more socially conservative than I am.

Of the major outlets, I find Globe and Mail to be the most "balanced" in terms of their pieces. They provide the most equal coverage from both left and right wing points of views.

On a side note, a took a political spectrum test last week (this one I think), and the results we re interesting but not surprising. I didn't save the result, but this is roughly where I ended up:

[esquire]

Originally Posted by thewave46

The National Post ones amuse me in their contradictory stances.

1. The PM’s a dictator and that’s bad.
2. The NDP is trying to undo the dictator system and that’s bad.

Until 2015 it was the CBC that was mainly concerned with a dictatorial Prime Minister. Then something must have changed that year because at that point the CBC became fine with everything and it was the National Post that started sounding alarm bells.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by thewave46

The National Post ones amuse me in their contradictory stances.

1. The PM’s a dictator and that’s bad.
2. The NDP is trying to undo the dictator system and that’s bad.

The way the National Post works, almost all of their stuff is written by editorialists, and often different journalists will write different takes on the same topic, resulting in this sort of thing.

If you browse National Post, you'll find that a lot of the editorials that are lower down on the page are often fairly well written takes that include a fair amount of discussion of both sides of an issue. The top of the page, however, is dominated by click bait rage-farming articles.

The Star arguably does this too, although their tone is a lot less angry.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by LightingGuy

I find I agree with the Financial Post about 90% of the time. However the NP's political articles I agree with roughly 50% of the time. As a paper they are definitely a lot more socially conservative than I am.

Of the major outlets, I find Globe and Mail to be the most "balanced" in terms of their pieces. They provide the most equal coverage from both left and right wing points of views.

On a side note, a took a political spectrum test last week (this one I think), and the results we re interesting but not surprising. I didn't save the result, but this is roughly where I ended up:

The political compass test you took is pretty bad. It results in almost everyone being in the bottom left quadrant as the tone of the questions it asks cause people to skew their answers to be more Libertarian and more Left.

[harls]

Google's suggested 'news' in Android is garbage. It is mostly rewritten bot shit about 'this guy on reddit said'..

[harls]

Originally Posted by Wigs

When it comes to shilling for Canada's right wing, National Post reminds me of Roman Roy from the HBO show Succession. Bedfellows to the end.

I LOL at every line they give him, because it is sad and true.

[Doady]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

The political compass test you took is pretty bad. It results in almost everyone being in the bottom left quadrant as the tone of the questions it asks cause people to skew their answers to be more Libertarian and more Left.

I just took the test it seems very accurate, at least for me:

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Doady

I just took the test it seems very accurate, at least for me:

I am just slightly above the middle of the green quadrant.

And I always seem to end up with around the same profile as the people who hate my guts on here and think I am an evil person. Guess that's quite troubling to them!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by harls

Google's suggested 'news' in Android is garbage. It is mostly rewritten bot shit about 'this guy on reddit said'..

I find that much of the time Google tries too hard to serve up news stories related to things I've searched before. Which is fine when it comes to things like civic politics in Winnipeg, the war in Ukraine, etc.

But let's say I Google Emperor Hirohito once for whatever reason, I know that for the next 6 months I'll be getting Buzzfeed articles like "10 Ways that Emperor Hirohito Shaped the Modern World" in my "For You" feed.

[kwoldtimer]

Three squares down and three across from the centre in the green. More or less where I'd expect to be. I'm invariably "centre" in these things.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by harls

I LOL at every line they give him, because it is sad and true.

overall he's the biggest scumbag among a sea of abhorrence

Originally Posted by esquire

I find that much of the time Google tries too hard to serve up news stories related to things I've searched before. Which is fine when it comes to things like civic politics in Winnipeg, the war in Ukraine, etc.

But let's say I Google Emperor Hirohito once for whatever reason, I know that for the next 6 months I'll be getting Buzzfeed articles like "10 Ways that Emperor Hirohito Shaped the Modern World" in my "For You" feed.

very funny and true

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by esquire

Until 2015 it was the CBC that was mainly concerned with a dictatorial Prime Minister. Then something must have changed that year because at that point the CBC became fine with everything and it was the National Post that started sounding alarm bells.

[harls]

Originally Posted by esquire

I find that much of the time Google tries too hard to serve up news stories related to things I've searched before. Which is fine when it comes to things like civic politics in Winnipeg, the war in Ukraine, etc.

But let's say I Google Emperor Hirohito once for whatever reason, I know that for the next 6 months I'll be getting Buzzfeed articles like "10 Ways that Emperor Hirohito Shaped the Modern World" in my "For You" feed.

Yeah.

'In case you missed it' - here's an instant pot pot roast recipe for Beef bourguignon you searched for that one time.

Now it's going to show up again because I typed it at SSP. Along with esquire magazine.

[Architype]

Here's a sample, they can always find some good news amongst the bad. If the news drives you to drink; three great bars right in my neighbourhood.

3 bars in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant debut on list of top 50 in Canada, which includes 11 spots in B.C.

Eleven bars in British Columbia are celebrating—perhaps with an adult libation or two—after being ranked among the 50 best places to grab a drink in the country.

The magazine Canada’s 100 Best released its 2023 edition of its best 50 bars list this week, which includes three spots in B.C.’s capital and another eight in the Lower Mainland.

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/3-bars-in-vanc...-b-c-1.6402863

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Architype

Here's a sample, they can always find some good news amongst the bad. If the news drives you to drink; three great bars right in my neighbourhood.


https://bc.ctvnews.ca/3-bars-in-vanc...-b-c-1.6402863

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Wigs

When it comes to shilling for Canada's right wing, National Post...

The National Post is a weird one. I don't have any time for Conrad Black or Rex Murphy, but in spite of those ossified blowhards the NP seems to be the least ideologically captured/most objective news organization going. They go to both sides of issues and are willing to post stories that cast the right in a bad light. I don't know of any other media outlet that doesn't solely stick up for its "side." Plus Jonathan Kay, Tristin Hopper and Chris Selley have to be among the very best reporters/columnists Canada has right now in terms of their intellectual honesty and reasonableness. Doug Saunders is up there too.

The CBC and the Toronto Star are too far gone. The woke-lefty activism is so in your face, they're not even pretending to be objective anymore.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by rousseau

The National Post is a weird one. I don't have any time for Conrad Black or Rex Murphy, but in spite of those ossified blowhards the NP seems to be the least ideologically captured/most objective news organization going. They go to both sides of issues and are willing to post stories that cast the right in a bad light. I don't know of any other media outlet that doesn't solely stick up for its "side." Plus Jonathan Kay, Tristin Hopper and Chris Selley have to be among the very best reporters/columnists Canada has right now in terms of their intellectual honesty and reasonableness. Doug Saunders is up there too.

The CBC and the Toronto Star are too far gone. The woke-lefty activism is so in your face, they're not even pretending to be objective anymore.

Give me the Globe and Mail over any PostMedia publication any day.