Sorting fact from fiction in conspiracy theories On November 22, 1963, an emotionally unstable young Marxist and ex-Marine with few friends or job prospects, little respect from organized leftists, and an estranged wife who finally lost patience with his violent outbursts and political fantasies, took his rifle to work at the Texas School Book Depository…
Facts are foundational to democracy. A biased media disseminating propaganda erodes its very purpose Recognizing the dangers of a compliant media’s involvement in spreading propaganda is crucial for a healthy democracy. Citizens must remain vigilant and critical consumers of news, seeking out diverse sources of information and questioning the narratives presented to them. Media literacy…
You'd think there’d be time to cover the important details of real news rather than trivialize it with Ha Ha moments During the Vietnam War, there was something called “bang bang” coverage. Reporters would rush up to an area of action with U.S. troops, camera operators in tow, record gunfire, ducking and narration, and rush…
Critical thinking begins by asking who is paying for the alternative media we consume The media landscape has changed drastically in recent years. Few of us see current events through the lens of the CBC, CTV, CNN, or Fox News. Today most people turn to the alternative media of their choosing. The question is, do…
Perry Kinkaide interviews Mark Milke the President of the new Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. Mark is also the author of the recent book The 1876 Project – Why Canada should be cherished not cancelled. They discuss the foundational values defining Canada and the relevance of history, facts, and reality in addressing contemporary social and…
Wading through the rampant disinformation in media today requires a healthy dose of skepticism We live in an age of information and misinformation simultaneously. Never has there been so much useful information and so much nonsense to weed through. This puts a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders of those who consume media. It…
Portraying views opposed to those held by health experts stokes needless controversy When they launched their study, Timothy Caulfield and Marco Zenone could hardly have anticipated how the issue would capture headlines in Alberta. And yet they decided to examine how the common COVID-19 vaccination requirement for organ transplant recipients is represented in the popular…
Show should be reclassified as “science fiction” rather than “documentary” Since the controversial documentary series Ancient Apocalypse dropped on Netflix last November, academics and journalists around the world have been incensed at its false claims and misinformation. Earlier this month, the Society for American Archaeology wrote a letter to Netflix urging the platform to reclassify…
While no one person has the answers, each of us plays our part in solving life’s mysteries The American rapper GZA hit the nail on the head when he said, “Live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and never stop learning.” This is one of the greatest keys to happiness. No person has…
Telling someone to "do the research" may in fact do more harm than good
The expression that beauty, or art, is in the eye of the beholder means that it’s the viewer who decides. The same is true of the beholder of news stories. More simply, new research shows us, again, that news consumers see what they want to see. The latest research data comes from the ongoing conflict…