Mainstream Media Debate
November 30, 2022
Be it resolved, don’t trust mainstream media
Public trust in mainstream media is at an all-time low. Critics point to coverage of COVID-19, the 2020 election, and the Ottawa trucker protest as proof that legacy outlets like the New York Times, The Globe and Mail and CNN can no longer be relied upon to provide unbiased reporting. Activist journalists are using pen and paper to push political agendas while their bosses lean into the profitability of polarization.
Mainstream media’s defenders argue that their institutions offer an invaluable public service that alternative outlets are either incapable or uninterested in providing: careful fact-based reporting on important issues and holding the powerful to account.
In a brave new world of “fake news” and “drive by” journalism, traditional news organizations are essential to democracy and a bulwark against corruption, misinformation and the private interests of the powerful.
Results
Pre-debate
Post-debate
Swing: 19% (Pro team win)
You may also like
January 6, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump’s hard power doctrine alienates allies and sets a destabilizing precedent
January 13, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Jerome Powell stands up to Trump and why the West is reluctant to intervene in Iran
January 20, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump faces off with NATO allies over Greenland
January 29, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: ICE wants to spread terror and Canada is at the centre of a geopolitical crisis
February 4, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Alberta’s separatist movement gets support from Washington and Canada needs a new security agenda
February 10, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump demands half ownership of the Gordie-Howe Bridge and will Carney call a spring election?
February 24, 2026