Bias in media

Premier Smith’s panel makes changes to three surveys to fix ‘oversight’

Lisa Johnson and Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Premier Smith’s panel makes changes to three surveys to fix ‘oversight’

Lisa Johnson and Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

EDMONTON - Alberta is making changes to its online citizen survey following criticism that the original version was a slanted push poll designed to stir up discontent with the federal government.

Smith’s office confirmed Thursday they are making changes to three of the six surveys launched three weeks ago to gauge public opinion on Alberta distancing itself from Ottawa oversight and control.

They're part of Smith’s touring town hall panel, dubbed Alberta Next, pitching strategies that could lead to possible referendums.

Three of the six surveys asked respondents to comment on the province creating its own pension plan, police force and tax collection agency. But those who filled out those surveys weren’t allowed to disagree with the concept. That is changing, said Smith's spokesman.

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Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during a press conference in Edmonton on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Native American radio stations at risk as Congress looks to cut $1B in public broadcasting funding

Margery A. Beck, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Native American radio stations at risk as Congress looks to cut $1B in public broadcasting funding

Margery A. Beck, The Associated Press 6 minute read Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Dozens of Native American radio stations across the country vital to tribal communities will be at risk of going off the air if Congress cuts more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to industry leaders.

The U.S. Senate is set to vote this week on whether to approve the Department of Government Efficiency's plan to rescind previously approved public broadcasting funding for 2026 and 2027. Fear is growing that most of the 59 tribal radio stations that receive the funding will go dark, depriving isolated populations of news, local events and critical weather alerts. The House already approved the cuts last month.

“For Indian Country in general, 80% of the communities are rural, and their only access to national news, native story sharing, community news, whatever it is, is through PBS stations or public radio,” said Francene Blythe-Lewis, CEO of the Lincoln, Nebraska-based Native American video programming producer Vision Maker Media. “If the claw back happens, I would say a good 90% of those stations will cease to exist.”

Native American communities rely on local radio stations

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Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025

Elayna Cunningham, a college student interning at Koahnic Broadcast Corp., records a program on July 10, 2025, at the Anchorage, Alaska, studios of KNBA, the flagship station for National Native News. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Smith, Alberta Next panel’s first town hall hears support, calls for separation vote

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Smith, Alberta Next panel’s first town hall hears support, calls for separation vote

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

RED DEER - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her hand-picked panel heard from several Albertans Tuesday who argued the only way to get the province a fair deal from Ottawa is to leave confederation.

The event in Red Deer was the first in a series of town halls to address public concerns with the federal government.

Some 450 people showed up to put questions to Smith and the 15 other members of her Alberta Next panel about the grievances inspiring separatist sentiment in the province.

Most of the attendees lauded Smith and the panel's strategies to wrest more control from the federal government, including pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP.

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during a news conference in Calgary on Friday, October 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol

BBC Gaza documentary narrated by Hamas official’s son breached editorial guidelines, review says

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

BBC Gaza documentary narrated by Hamas official’s son breached editorial guidelines, review says

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

LONDON (AP) — Britain's media regulator said Monday it will investigate a BBC documentary about children's lives in Gaza, after a review concluded that the narrator's father has Hamas links and the program therefore breached editorial guidelines on accuracy.

The broadcaster removed the program, “Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone,” from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.

Ofcom, the media regulator, said that it was launching an investigation under rules that state factual programs must not materially mislead the audience.

That came after a review by the broadcaster found that the independent production company that made the program didn't share the background information regarding the narrator's father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it didn't “intentionally” mislead the BBC.

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Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2025

FILE - This photo shows a BBC sign outside the entrance to the headquarters of the publicly funded media organization in London, July 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

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‘Love Island’ revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

Sarah Jones-smith, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

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‘Love Island’ revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

Sarah Jones-smith, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, Oct. 10, 2025

It used to be that dating was as simple as deciding between dinner, a trip to the movies or an arcade. Now, understanding the dating scene has become intermingled with smartphones, matchmaking apps and one’s ability to navigate thorny social issues like racial preference in a mate.

“Love Island,” a widely popular international reality television franchise, is emblematic of the complexities of modern dating. It has also sparked heated discussions among fans about the desirability of Black women and darker-complexioned people both on and off air.

The show, which aired the finale of the seventh season of its U.S. version Sunday and is airing the 12th season of its U.K. version, casts conventionally attractive “islanders” who are generally in their early to late 20s for a six- to eight-week stay in a luxury villa. Men and women compete for long-lasting relationships and a cash prize.

But as the show’s daters face challenges meant to test their bonds, as well as elimination by villa mates or by fans’ vote, notions of who is and isn’t desirable frequently come up for viewers and contestants alike. In the end, many fans are left with the perception that racial bias, colorism and misogyny are especially inescapable for Black women on reality dating shows.

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Friday, Oct. 10, 2025

This image released by Peacock shows promotional art for the reality series

Musk’s xAI scrubs inappropriate posts after Grok chatbot makes antisemitic comments

The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Musk’s xAI scrubs inappropriate posts after Grok chatbot makes antisemitic comments

The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company said Wednesday that it's taking down “inappropriate posts" made by its Grok chatbot, which appeared to include antisemitic comments that praised Adolf Hitler.

Grok was developed by Musk’s xAI and pitched as alternative to “woke AI” interactions from rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Musk said Friday that Grok has been improved significantly, and users “should notice a difference.”

Since then, Grok has shared several antisemitic posts, including the trope that Jews run Hollywood, and denied that such a stance could be described as Nazism.

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Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk attends the first plenary session on of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 in Bletchley, England. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Racism and patients receiving emergency care

Gregory Mason 5 minute read Monday, Jul. 7, 2025

When elected in October 2023, the NDP identified reducing emergency room wait times as a primary goal for health system improvements.

Sometimes we’re left with the power of words

Martin Zeilig 5 minute read Monday, Jun. 23, 2025

I’m not a head of state. I’m not a general. I’m not a billionaire. I’m a writer. And in times like these, that is both a burden and a responsibility.

The bully is a person in our neighbourhood

Editorial 4 minute read Preview

The bully is a person in our neighbourhood

Editorial 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 13, 2025

A new kid moves into your neighbourhood. A loudmouth, pretty darned full of himself; “I’m the best, the bigly-est, the smartest person ever,” but you’re used to all sorts, even windbags, so you don’t pay him much mind.

And then one day as you’re walking by, he punches you in the face.

Later, he’s all smiles, and says “Let’s let bygones be bygones, we could be the bestest of friends.” And things get better for a bit, though he’s still insufferable.

Not long after, as you’re walking by, he comes up and punches you in the face, saying that you were mean to him.

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Friday, Jun. 13, 2025

Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post
U.S. President Donald Trump

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‘She’s all of us’: mural illustrates ties between Winnipeg and grateful Ukrainian newcomers

Matthew Frank 3 minute read Preview

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‘She’s all of us’: mural illustrates ties between Winnipeg and grateful Ukrainian newcomers

Matthew Frank 3 minute read Monday, Jun. 9, 2025

Blue and yellow ribbons wrapping around the city’s skyline show the deep connection between Ukraine and Manitoba in a new mural.

Take Pride Winnipeg, a downtown non-profit that seeks to clean up and inspire civic pride, unveiled its newest mural, titled “Pray for Ukraine” in the Exchange District on Monday.

It pictures a Ukrainian woman in traditional clothing stoically gazing into the distance as butterflies and a dove — which symbolize hope, peace and rebirth — flutter around the Esplanade Riel and Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The installation at Exchange District BIZ at 492 Main St. was painted by Jennifer Mosienko, who’s worked on more than 40 murals across the city.

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Monday, Jun. 9, 2025

November 18, 2025