Critical thinking

I don't know if you have noticed how the news cycle usually goes. Friday afternoons are for releasing things that people for whatever reason don't want to get a lot of attention and Monday mornings are for things that the people that are releasing them want to get a lot of talk going about them.

On Friday afternoon there was some talk from one news source that Kenney would be announcing on Monday that Alberta would be joining the $10 a day federal child care program. The news source that released it has in the past been more sympathetic to Kenney, his party, and his missteps. It was a small article without a lot of fanfare. 

Today, (Monday) another news source released the same story. This time it was a much larger article. The source this time has been more critical of Kenney and his party. There was more information given time, including the possibility of Trudeau coming to break the news with Kenney. 

Now, the reason I bring this to your attention. The media is a large and powerful thing. Depending on where you get your information, you could get the same story but with very different spins. The first source kind of swept it under the rug. The second reframes the story and adds references to past press conferences where Kenney has sworn that he would never bring it to Alberta. 

The difference now (again, depending on your source) is that either Kenney is doing this because he needs a win with the public; or that he is trying to get along better with the federal government. For the first time, I am going to keep my own opinion out of this (for today). And just state the point here.

The point is to consider the source that you are getting your information. It seems here in Alberta that all the media sources are either owned by the same company or are based in Ontario with their spin put on it. If you are fired up about something, it sounds weird, or maybe it doesn't make sense, try somewhere else. 

The media used to be nonpartisan and neutral. The news was the news. No opinions or people in the background deciding what information you are getting to suit their agendas. Just reports on what the world had going on. Before you swallow what is being served to you take a minute to think critically. It might save you some time and anger in the long run. 


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