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Thank you, you've summed up the question of balanced journalism far better than I ever could. The current approach of sticking someone with an opposite opinion on the news, even if that opinion is clearly utter horseshit, really gets to me, but I wasn't able to properly describe why.

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BTW the name for this is "false balance".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_balance

..thanks, this thought anti-pattern has become a cultural virus - having a name helps combat it.

However, I think the approach of sticking someone with an opposite opinion, then tearing their argument apart with debate, insightful questions, or merciless satire are wonderful approaches to dealing with this problem. Stewart and Colbert, of course, mastered this art in the U.S., and many British journalists seem to have a knack for it as well.

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