The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- How Do You Get Your News?

Episode Date: January 30, 2025

The Ranter drops his latest take on the developing trade war between Canada & the US, his view may surprise you.  

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, that means your turn. The question this week, how have things changed in the way you get your news and why? Plus, the Mansbridge here. Quite a week to be asking this question, how have things changed in the way you get your news and why? And I say, why is this an interesting time to be asking that question? Well, it's this.

I think most people have changed in some way over the last few years simply because of, well, the way the landscape has changed. But every once in a while, something happens where you go back to your original way of doing things. Last night was one of those ways. If, in fact, you find it important to follow stories like a major plane crash, and that's what happened in Washington last night. And so where do you go? Do you go to a podcast? No, you can't because there isn't any that's dealing with that issue breaking at that hour.

But, you know, channels like CNN and Newsworld and CTV News, those options are there for breaking news. And we may argue about the term breaking. Sometimes breaking news seems to go on for days. But that was an opportunity last night to go to resort and return to the original way we used to do things. But overall, I think the question is still very important. And once again, we got lots of answers from across the country, many first-time writers. So let's get to those answers right now. Bad question. Have things changed in the way you get news? Gary Gould in Brantford, Ontario. The sheer number of news sources has changed my approach to acquiring news. What I find most frustrating is that the news isn't just the news. It is tainted with opinion and bias that has me questioning the validity of the information.

At some point in the past, mainstream media was the trusted source, so I felt I didn't need to look further. As alternate providers came along mine, my habits for sourcing information changed, but I began seeking several sources to ensure the validity of the news they were providing. My level of skepticism has risen exponentially. Jacqueline Day in Cochrane, Alberta. That's just a little west of Calgary. I'm a news hound and deeply respect the journalists

doing important work here and abroad. The proliferation of dis- and misinformation on social media keeps me awake at night more than anything else, as it has since the start of the pandemic. Now we face a new threat to the information ecosystem, Trump. Over the past few months, Trump has had a shocking impact on news media in the U.S. One need only to look to Jeff Bezos pulling the Washington Post's endorsement of Kamala Harris and Jim Acosta's sudden departure from CNN this week after being relegated to the graveyard time slot

for stating that the free press is a fundamental element of democracy. Of course, that's not what CNN is saying. I have canceled my subscriptions to the Washington Post and the New York Times and narrowed my media diet further, now relying almost exclusively on the CBC, the BBC, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and podcasts. Renata Mill in Kelowna, BC. I'm a Gen Xer, and I remember the days when news was watched at the appointed hour with an almost reverence. I miss the days of gathering around the TV at six to watch the

Canadian anchors, trusted media voices, tell us what is going on in the world. Now, every morning, I consume news via online media portals in our community. And I ask Google to tell me the news, which covers CBC, CGV, business and tech news headlines in five minute hits. I then turn on the local talk radio channel to hear local and regional current issues, followed by provincial talk radio coverage from Vancouver. I also listen to your podcast daily. In about 60 minutes, I've heard pretty much all the important items of the day across both traditional and modern media outlets. Peter Freeman in Unionville, Ontario.

I try to watch The National every night and have so for decades. I enjoy the coverage of the news of the day, the thoughtful range of content and great reporting. Throughout the day, I have turned more and more to social media. X has become far too negative and focused on Trump and Elon, so I've dropped X. I'm relying now on Blue Sky. Glenn Lee in Berlin on Germany. Hey, that's good, Glenn. Thanks for writing from

Berlin. My news comes primarily via news websites, New York Times, BBC, and CBC. I don't trust social media sites, but they serve to alert me to breaking news. I then head to my news sites for the facts without the blather of social media slump. Carolyn Gaunt in Windsor, Nova Scotia. That's just an hour west of Halifax. Carolyn listed several reasonably reliable sources, including CBC, CTV, The Washington Post, and CNN. Then she adds, and friends who post stories on Facebook. I do curate what I read, look for a few stories to compare facts, look up historical references, and where possible, check academic journals. For local news, I follow the town website and watch council broadcasts

and read minutes of meetings. I also ask my neighbor, who seems to be very well connected, Anthony Harrison in Churchbridge, Saskatchewan. That's southern Saskatchewan. It's down there in the southeast corner, near the Manitoba border. I personally use every venue, your podcast, and the news outlets on Sirius, TV newscasts, Facebook, X.

I still like local radio as well. Clark Somerville in Acton, Ontario, west of Toronto. The loss of media both local and nationally in print, radio and TV has diminished our ability to know what is going on with issues of importance. Local newspapers have disappeared, and most publish only press releases with no effort to dig in. The major papers are a shell of before. Thankfully, some of the reporters now work for virtual papers and news. I watch respected news like CBC and CTV national programs, but it's hard to find out anything of importance outside of Toronto. Oh, the old Toronto bias thing again, right?

Don't forget what percentage of the population resides in and around Toronto, right? They do have reason to be covered. Paula Gratton in Miramichi, New Brunswick. I do have reason to be covered. Paula Gratton in Miramichi, New Brunswick. I've definitely changed how I receive and follow the news. For a long time, I used social media to get my news and then would see if it was backed up by multiple sources. I especially used Twitter in the pre-Elon days, but deleted my account six months ago.

Now I feel like I'm avoiding the news. The really important stuff I still get, although filtered through my husband for my sanity's sake. Otherwise, I've pretty much tuned out, and I'm not sure when I'll tune back in. A lot of people saying that these days. Deb Johnson in Edmonton. I've migrated to podcasts on Spotify and YouTube. Why? Because I

can research the hosts and how they are funded. This has made it easier to determine biases or agendas and to separate fact from opinion. I also subscribe to a variety to get different focuses and counterpoints. This allows me to frame my own opinion and have the facts to back it up. Driving and housework have never been more interesting. Laura Plant in Chilliwack, BC. Listening to the news these days can be very difficult and disheartening. However, I feel it's important to be well informed and engaged as a Canadian citizen. We no longer pay for cable television,

so the days of the evening news are over in our house. Thankfully, YouTube exists for news clips, and each day I visit... Excuse me, I got the hiccups. And each day I visit cbc.ca to peruse the headlines. I also rely on comedy to take the edge off. This hour has 22 minutes, and U.S. shows like The Daily Show and Seth Meyers' A Closer Look segments. Our current political situation is no laughing matter, but as they say,

if you aren't laughing, you're crying. Barbara Ellsworth of Victoria, B.C. My news consumption practices have evolved over the years as traditional news sources have changed. I try to access news from many online sources like Reuters, The Globe, Al Jazeera, CBC, New York Times, The Bridge, and local online news providers. TV news is also in the mix. Sadly, I rarely hold and read an actual newspaper anymore. Balanced and complete reporting is what I search for. But sometimes it's all too much. With Trump 2.0 on some days, I just give it all a miss. Lisanne Donnelly in Sutton, Quebec. It's in the eastern townships.

I get my news online frequently from the New York Times, CBC, The Guardian. I listen to CBC Radio most days and your podcast on a regular basis. The news I gather from Instagram is entertaining but becoming increasingly ridiculous. Sounds rather vanilla but balanced in my mind. I'll be up in the...

I'll be up the creek if they take CBC away. Just a reminder, it's been seven years since I worked for the CBC. I know some of you sort of assume that I'm still working for the CBC. I don't. I have obviously a lot of friends there, and I have a great deal of respect and time for the national public broadcaster and the need for one but I don't work there anymore okay Ben Vandenberg in Wayne Fleet Ontario it's the Niagara region I was born in 1997 I grew up watching you with my dad

on the couch I listened to mostly podcasts I I feel mainstream media has sacrificed their credibility by not challenging our leaders and issues more diligently. If you're going to be biased, at least say so publicly. I'm going to talk a little later about those of you who are relying almost exclusively on podcasts. But let me keep going with your letters. Janice Craig in Tino Beach, Grand Bahamas. Oh, that must be tough. The non-winter home, by the way, for Janice is in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

My consumption of the news has dramatically changed in the last five years or so. I used to listen to CBC radio in the car on the way to and from work, followed by news on TV at dinnertime, and then finally before bed, I'd watch The National. I used to love to hover over the Saturday Toronto Star and flip through sections over the course of a weekend. Now that I'm retired and my techie adult kids have introduced me to X and various podcasts, my life has changed to a more flexible consumption style where I can choose what I listen or watch and pause according to my current life needs.

I don't even think I own a radio anymore. I also don't watch news on TV at set times as I prefer to listen to news podcasts so I can multitask and do some of my daily activities such as walking outdoors, working out, gardening and cooking. If I could swim and listen, I'd do that too, but technology has not caught up with me yet. Judy Malone writes from Dublin, Ireland. Simply put, podcasts and subscriptions. I don't appreciate just headlines. I want to critically reflect on the

news. So podcasts while I'm in the gym and I pay a subscription to support three news broadcasters so that I can deep dive into articles of my choice through email links. More importantly, to fund and keep journalism strong. That's right, Judy. Good journalism costs money. It costs money. Seamus McConneville in Courtney, B.C. It's the east coast of Vancouver Island. I'm an older Gen Z, and I get my news from a variety of new and old school sources. TV networks like the CBC and Global, my Apple News subscription to get papers like the Globe and Toronto Star, the impulse purchase of The Economist at Costco every few

weeks, and podcasts like yours to get the analysis of the day's events. I used to get my news from social media sources like Twitter and Reddit, but in recent years, the discourse on these channels hasn't led to any good analysis or insight in a complex world. These attributes couldn't be more important. Callum Arnold in Ottawa. Over my quarter century of living, Callum, that's a good way to make a 25 year old guy sound old, my relationship with the news has evolved. I first began paying attention to the headlines through YouTube videos. As my appetite for politics grew, I convinced my dad to get us a subscription to the Globe. Through my years in university, I matured and pruned my news sources according to which I found most trustworthy, and numerous personalities have come and gone.

Podcasts such as yours have proven to be among the most recent additions to my news sources, though the globe continues to be a mainstay. One of the great luxuries of this time is the breadth of access to information we possess, but one of the great terrors is how easily that information can be harnessed and manipulated. Ted Arbuckle in Coboconk, Ontario. It's core of the Lakes area. I get most of my news from the radio or my iPhone.

I read news feeds from Canada and subscribe to the New York Times. Another thing I've done is to listen to U.S. news on the radio. I switch from Fox to CNN and MSNBC. I equate it to wiggling a tooth you were about to lose when you were a kid. You know it's going to hurt, but you keep doing it. To me, these so-called news channels in the U.S. are all cut from the same cloth. Their aim is to cater to their audience rather than report the facts. Straight facts don't get the visceral reactions they're looking for. I don't think any of them can be regarded as legitimate news channels. Now they seem to be aiming for the most outrageous stories, and the more divisive the better.

Kevin Fowler in Ottawa. I'm exposed to breaking news via trusted sources on X and Blue Sky, so that with other media like podcasts and TV, I'm looking for analysis and longer-form discussions. Joshua Winters in Surrey, B.C. Your question got me thinking about an unsettling conversation I had a few years ago with a young co-worker regarding the news. She was a recent graduate from high school and a bright new hire to the company I worked for at

the time. It was normal at our workplace to have debates and discussions about politics or the news of the day. Over time, I noticed that she very rarely chimed in during these discussions. One day while we were working alone, she turned to me and very meekly said, How do you know which news is the real news? Her question felt like I'd been punched in the gut, and I was shocked by her honesty. In the moment, I tried to muddle together something about trusted news sources and good journalism. Her eyes fell away with disappointment, clearly still searching for an answer. Looking back, I'm not sure what disturbs me more, the fact that this bright recent graduate could not tell the difference

between what news was real and fake, or the fact that I, someone who considers themselves to be a news junkie, had no compelling answer to give her. Janet Linkletter in Ottawa. Growing up in Ottawa, or sorry, growing up in Toronto, I used to get my news from local papers that my parents subscribed to, such as the Star or the Sun. We also like watching local and national news stations together on TV. I live in Ottawa now, and I purchased my first smartphone in 2021. Ever since, I prefer getting most of my news from podcasts.

Podcasts are great because they allow me to multitask with daily chores like ironing, doing the dishes, and folding laundry. Mary Philpott in Abbotsford, B.C. Growing up in Toronto, the daily news landed on our doorstep with a thump as the Toronto Telegram. Since that time, it's developed into a barrage, no longer hard copy, but TV, radio, podcasts, social media. It began to affect me in a visceral way during the first Trump presidency, through the pandemic, and the Canadian convoy coverage was icing on the cake. I stopped watching and listening.

I self-imposed heavy filters, limited myself to bits of the national and the globe. It's not that I'm not interested. I simply can't absorb it all. And I can't make sense of the negative right-wing elements today. Cindy Zampa in Airdrie, Alberta. That's a northern suburb of Calgary. When I was considerably younger, I used to love to pour myself a cup of coffee, read the Calgary Herald from cover to cover. With the birth of my children, time was filled, so I became a scanner of headlines. I'd also watch the news on TV as time would permit. Eventually,

I stopped getting the newspaper delivered and I hardly picked one up anymore. At various points of my life, I've sworn off watching the news on television because it only puts me in a sad or sour mood. I've never relied on getting the news from social media platforms, and as the fake news epidemic began, I disengaged from social media entirely. Currently, I mainly get news from our local news stations on TV and radio, but I've got a whole new set of filters on when I take it in. Rick Moreau in Spruce Grove, Alberta. That's just outside Edmonton. I use YouTube quite a bit.

It's very addictive, but whatever your interests are, there is info. You can watch news from all over the world and get different perspectives. There's always more than one side of the story on every issue. The real answers are probably somewhere in the middle. Actually, you know, Rick, I'd be careful about that. If someone tells you the earth is round and someone else tells you the earth is flat, the real answer, it's not in the middle.

The earth is a cube. That's not the answer. The real answer is that one person is telling you the truth and one person isn't you the truth and one person isn't. Truth isn't just the average of all the statements you hear. Paula Dearing in Seaforth, Ontario, just an hour north of London. As a fairly recent podcast listener, I'm particularly new to the bridge. I've found your podcast is a great way to keep up to date on topical issues. I no longer have cable and stopped getting the newspaper a while ago.

Nothing much in it anymore. Once again, I'm going to say something about podcasts a little later. Norma Jack, Stouffville, Ontario, just north of Toronto. When I was young, I listened to the news on the radio. Then television came along and I watched the BBC. When we came to Canada, I watched the CBC. Now, 50 years later, the only news my husband and I listen to is The Bridge. Thanks, Mom.

Kathy Scully in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Flin Flon. It's where Bobby Clark learned to play hockey. Reggie Leach and a lot of other people. Kathy writes from Flin Flon. My most trusted place for news is

the bridge. I do check other platforms, CBC, CTV, but I no longer trust them 100%. I used to watch CNN, but no more. Trump has changed all news for me, so many lies. The newspapers repeat the lies. Mob mentality is everywhere.

I'll stick with you, Peter. Let me just say this about the last three letters. We're glad people listen to us. Really glad. As we often say, the bridge is not a newscast. It's a nice addition to your news menu, but it's not a substitute for all the news

you'd find in a newspaper or on some television newscast. And often the bridge is opinion. Right? including mine. So I love the fact you listen to the bridge and you're engaged by it. And listen to conversations like the ones we have with Janice Stein.

They're fantastic. It's like being in a lecture hall. Heather Boyd in North Vancouver, B.C. I'm now in my 40s. I get my news fixed from a variety of sources, and lately I've made a point of broadening my sources. I even subscribe to Fox News, because after being shocked by the U.S. election results,

I realized I'm in an echo chamber and need to understand more about what the other side is hearing. It mostly leaves me frustrated and confused, but at least now I know a little more about what's out there. The other side is hearing. It mostly leaves me frustrated and confused, but at least now I know a little more about what's out there. Mark Manchester in Toronto. He wrote about many sources he uses, but he says, I like a newspaper because I can pick and choose items of interest,

usually beginning with the horoscope and weather page at the back, then flipping to the editorial page for the daily political cartoon, maybe the lead editorial, and letters, then sports, then world local interest, and finally entertainment. Liska Sorge in Diamond Valley, Alberta. That's south of Calgary. I have an early start driving a bus so I can catch the BBC and CBC radio programs in the morning on my CBC Listen app. In the evenings, it's CBC Radio,

then CBC Gem for the 10 o'clock newscast, all on my phone for convenience. Yes, she's a CBC listener. But hey, driving the bus, I don't know whether it's a school bus or a regular bus, whatever. We love you for that. Thank you. Pam Devine in Charlottetown.

I've been an avid follower of Canadian public affairs, mostly federal politics, for the last 38 years. But gone are the days of anticipating the national at 10 p.m. to learn about the day's events. By the time 10 p.m. arrives, there's no more news to learn about, everything having been covered online or the supper hour radio or TV news broadcasts. My trusted source of news remains newspapers.

Okay, that's roughly the halfway point. So let's take a quick break, and then we'll come back with the random ranter. You okay with that? I'm okay with that. So let's take a break. We'll be back right after this. And welcome back. You're listening to the Thursday episode of The Bridge.

It's your turn. Your thoughts on the question, how has the way you cover news, you get your news, how has that changed? You're listening to Sirius XM, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or on your favorite podcast platform. We're glad to have you with us. To listen to your letters, but also to listen to... What's that guy's name again? Oh, yeah.

A random renter. A trade war is something no one wants on this side of the border. And while it remains to be seen what will actually happen and when, everyone is talking about all the things we stand to lose. Well, enough with all the doom and gloom. Today I want to look at it another way and focus on the silver linings. Because there will be some. Don't get me wrong, a trade war would inflict significant

short-term pain on the Canadian economy, but we can come out of this stronger. Look, first off, we're not being singled out. Trump is going after all his trade partners, not just us. It's bad news for everyone, but if America wants to go it alone, there'll be lots of nations out there looking for new trade partners, not just us. So as bad as it is, it's also an opportunity for us to forge new markets, establish new trade alliances, and strengthen the ones we already have. We've had too many eggs in the U.S. basket for too long. Whether Trump's tariffs materialize to the full extent of his threats or not, we need to diversify our trading relationships beyond just the states, and we need to do it now. They've shown their hand, and we can't ignore it.

Secondly, let's give our heads a shake. We're a blessed nation. We live in a country rich with natural resources and a world that's hungry for them. We're not just fossil fuels and lumber. We've got rare earth minerals, precious metals, cheap energy, and clean water. As climate change continues to disrupt markets around the world, our ag industry remains strong and sustainable. Look, we've got everything we need to make a go of it, and we even have the manufacturing capabilities to back it up. We don't need to make Canada great again, because Canada is already a great nation of great people, period. Now, I don't know anyone who describes America as great. Even Trump refers to America's greatness in a past tense.

But that doesn't stop Trump from operating under the faulty assumption that America is preeminent. The guy is dead set on using tariffs to drive that point home to the entire world. But his lesson is going to have the opposite effect because his supposed projection of strength will only serve to expose to the world just how weak the United States really is. And make no mistakes, they're weak, they're divided, and they're corrupt. Their economy may be the largest in the world, but their budget deficit as a percentage of GDP far exceeds that of all the other G7 nations at 7.3%. By comparison, Canada's deficit, as bad as it is, is under 1% of our GDP.

To further complicate things, Trump is looking to lower the US corporate tax rate and implement an unlimited debt ceiling. It all spells financial insanity to me. But for Trump and his six bankruptcies, I guess it's totally on brand. It really begs the question that even if Denmark agreed to sell him Greenland, how would he pay for it? I'm guessing with Trump branded crypto coins. I don't know if America is living on borrowed time, but it's certainly living on borrowed money.

And at the rate they're going, it's unsustainable. The way I look at it, if all this trade war talk weakens our reliance on the U.S. market, then maybe that's for the better. Because with Trump in power, tariffs or not, it seems like a good time to launch our lifeboat and get some distance from the sinking ship. I mean, why wait until you hit the iceberg?

Boom. There you go, the random ranter for this week. It's interesting. He seems in a much better mood than he was last week. But he still knows how to drive home that point. I was going to talk about the iceberg, but that will only cost some of your letters, so let's get back to them. Paul Peters Derry in Winnipeg.

Since November, I find that there are times, especially after a long day, that I need to access something more than news. Oversaturation creates hyper-anxiety, even despair. Is my lens on the world slanted to the left? Most likely, yes. I'd like to think that it's more accurate and less fake newsy than Fox, but I recognize that there are Fox News folks out there who probably say the same thing about their accessing of the news.

Mike Thornton in Paris, Ontario, just northwest of Brantford. Historically, I got my news through Twitter until it morphed into X. X has turned into something that Twitter never was. The misinformation and disinformation runs unchecked while being branded as free speech. This week I cancelled my X account and subscribed to a couple of newspapers that I trust instead. I also migrated my main social media usage to Blue Sky. A lot of people doing that. Mike's a pilot down in Paris, Ontario. I'm sure he's got some thoughts about what happened last night in Washington.

Grant Dachuk in Peace River, Alberta. YouTube is where I get most of the mind news these days. The CBC is off my list of credible news sources. Just way too many half or one-sided stories. Kemrak Saran in Brampton, Ontario. I'm a firm believer that news disseminated by public broadcasters undergoes the highest editorial scrutiny. As such, I always trust these sources for objective journalism. Everything else I encounter is viewed with an assumption that it is heavily editorialized and written to cater to a specific viewership bias. Eden Toth in Galliano Island, British Columbia. That's in the Salish Sea between Vancouver and Victoria.

I'm 31. When I was a kid, there was a fresh newspaper on the breakfast table every morning and CBC radio emanating from more than one spot in the house, eventually following us into the car for the drive to school. At the end of the day, my mom would come home from her job, turn on the TV for the 6 o'clock news, and leave it on until the end of the national. Today, that local paper is long gone. The big Vancouver newspaper reads more like a flyer,

and the regional TV and radio broadcasts don't have enough reporters left to produce anything substantial. Even the National is not the same. I feel a civic obligation to follow the news, but I don't think some social media is the right place to do it. So I cobble together Canadian podcasts, sub-stacks, email newsletters, and online articles written by people I think are smart. What happens to our democracy if the majority of us aren't following the news? I guess we'll find out. Carol Slaughter in Whitby, Ontario, just east of Toronto.

As a graduate in political science back in the 1980s, I actually wrote a paper in my fourth year about media impact on political thought. I continued following various media and got the paper, watched the news, and engaged in ongoing discussions for years as I worked. Today, dead stop. I don't get a local paper, no longer available. No delivery of the Globe and Mail or Toronto Star, too expensive. Instead, I get news feeds.

I peruse over coffee, listen to podcasts, and chat over dinner about the news, filtered by my husband and son. Guess I'm just not engaged, just like 75% of voters across the country. You know, I can't budget for Carol or anyone else, but saying the Globe and Star are too expensive strikes me a little bit odd. Right now you can get the Globe's e-paper, the full edition of the paper, every day that you can read on a tablet for 99 cents a week for 24 weeks. You can get the e-paper version of the star for a dollar for an entire six months.

It gets a little more expensive when the trials run out, but significantly less expensive than the physical paper delivered to your door. Here's my little plug for papers. Derek Dillabo in Ottawa. I've both despair and hope for the news industry these days because if you choose the news you read or listen to wisely, there are many excellent sources to choose from. It's important to have an open mind, read opinions that you may not agree with, and try to see that side of the story. But avoid the rage-farming websites and algorithms that try to lock you into a certain way of thinking. Look for sources that explore all sides of the argument in a fair and balanced way. Explore the many different avenues from podcasts to Substack, but don't ignore the traditional news sources,

because many still have very credible and knowledgeable people that have very high journalistic standards. They need and deserve our support. Robin Hewson in St. Thomas, Ontario. Have I changed my news consumption habits? Yes, now with much more focus on Canada. Prior to the last U.S. election, I always watched ABC News and frequently watched CNN. I now have new digital subscriptions to the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, which I read daily.

I watch CBC every day, displacing CNN. I occasionally read the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal online to try and better understand our divided society. Elon Musk is actively interfering with our current elections using X. I abandoned X last fall. Election interference from X combined with the possibility that CBC could disappear is deeply concerning. We need more Canadian-owned news sources in Canada, not fewer.

Catherine Penny in Renfrew, Ontario. That's about an hour west of Ottawa. I'm 29 years old, have traditionally used my Twitter feed to follow the news, but it's become increasingly unreliable. Now I read the newspaper every morning. The newspaper is not just a thread of major headlines. It has offered me so much more. I've noticed three things. I'm learning. I read the business section first because I find it the most challenging. Next, I turn to the opinions to hear from others. I always finish at the end with the obituaries. I love learning from others and reading beautiful and often simple lives having been lived. I'm less anxious. I still

get notifications on my phone when major headlines come through. Instead of clicking and doom scrolling, I say to myself, that'll be in tomorrow's paper. I'll read more on that then. I'm grateful. I'm grateful to read Canadian-centric content. Grateful to have journalists who take the time to think critically on issues that impact us all and who choose each and every word with consideration. John Kelly in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. I'm a Fundy Bay boy who's come home from Toronto. What has dramatically changed for me since I've come home

is the recognition of the critical role that CBC local broadcasting plays in keeping my wife and me up to date on what's important for us to know. Local and regional newspapers have either been shut down or consolidated into the national news conglomerate based in Toronto or elsewhere outside of this country. Feed us bits and pieces of what's pulled together from their national offices. Karen Fink in Cheltenham, Ontario, a little west of Brampton. I've moved from watching news to listening to various podcasts.

I believe it was Bruce who once said that journalists have taken more of a gotcha style of reporting and interviewing to advance their own profile versus actual reporting and seeking the truth. Michael Pash of Victoria. Yes, I've changed how I consume news, but that wasn't entirely my choice. It's become more difficult to access straightforward and normative information.

My recipe, CBC Radio, Global National, and the local news at six. The National particularly at issue in a careful selection of podcasts, newspapers, and magazines. The one place I don't go is social media, other than watching clips on YouTube. I consider that landscape to be a political wasteland. Frank Wang

in Surrey, BC. After stopping my cable subscription many years ago, my primary source of TV news has been the nightly broadcast of The National on YouTube. For text based articles, I've been shifting to the social media site, Reddit, where

I have a curated feed which contains a variety of local, national, and international news. The comment section is often a hot mess, but it is interesting and eye-opening to read some of the more constructive or informative comments. Mark Dunham in Mississauga, Ontario. I like Twitter because you can find the deeper thoughts of people often featured on the news who are authorities on topics who also link to sources you don't hear from on the news. For instance, on housing news, I read the thoughts of developers, urban planners, non-profit builders, and financiers who are on the front lines. Julie Smith-Allen in Lethbridge, Alberta. I used to watch the 6 o'clock TV news, period.

Now I don't have a TV. But I watch The National on YouTube while getting ready for work. And I listen to news and political podcasts on my phone. Carol Edwards in Ancaster, Ontario. My sources for news have changed over the years. TV and radio were my go-to spots for decades until you made me a podcast listener during COVID. I would walk and listen. Now I have six or seven, including yours, some U.S.-based, many Canadian,

some on the left, some more right-leaning. I no longer watch TV news because it does not feel like news. It feels like opinion, just commentary. I subscribe to a couple of newspapers behind paywalls. Mike Wright in Amherstburg, Ontario. It's about as far south as you can go in Canada, about 45 minutes south of Detroit. I get most of my news from apps on my iPad, CBC, some CNN, and also the BBC for a different perspective. Love that I choose what I want to read. Vicki Cunningham in Pit Meadows, BC, just east of Vancouver. I get my news from podcasts.

I appreciate their depth. You don't just get a quick five-minute summary of current events. Instead, you get at least 30 minutes of in-depth reporting on specific topics. The range of subjects is broad, though recently most episodes have been focused on politics in Canada and the U.S. I also love the flexibility of being able to listen while driving or doing things around the house. John Detler in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I still get my news from the CBC, CTV, and PBS NewsHour.

The Sunday Toronto Star as well. They all try to report news without bias. PBS is pretty good for the American perspective. I've turned on Fox News to see what they have to say, and I can see how Trump got back in. They seem to be a straight-up propaganda arm for the MAGA movement. Don Campbell in Kelowna, BC. For me, print media has been dead for a long time. Even radio and television has been dramatically and drastically reduced. My main source of information is podcasts. I listen to the BBC global podcast once a day for international news. I have a paid subscription to the Economist podcast, which is

money very well spent. And of course, there's one other little podcast I listen to four days a week, something about a bridge. Walter Crabe in Toronto. The way in which I keep current with the news has definitely changed. It's less about stopping certain practices, I still read the newspaper, but more about an evolution. I'm a big proponent of how technology has allowed us to obtain quickly a broad perspective on local, national, and global events. The why is more about the practical aspects of online services, literally real-time and the ability to obtain a deeper and broader understanding

of the what's and why's of news events. Carolyn Black in Waterloo, Ontario. My habits have changed, but one thing that hasn't changed is that CBC is my go-to source for national and international news. I used to always watch the 9 p.m. edition of The National. Now I watch the highlights of The National on YouTube in the early morning after my workout. It's so much more appealing to pick and choose the stories that I want to consume instead of sitting down for an hour. Kathy Pupak in Smithville, Ontario.

It's west of St. Catharines. As a former news junkie, I've chosen to wean myself from watching CNN, and I also deleted X on America's Inauguration Day. I stopped watching CTV News when Lisa Laflamme was fired. So now I consume news via the Bridge podcast and CBC Online News. Paul Masson in Ajax, Ontario, between Toronto and Oshawa. Once upon a time, physical newspapers landed on my porch until I couldn't keep up with them. Then my nightly routine ended

only after watching national newscasts, but the investment in time and repeating segment promos took its toll. Now I read my digital Globe and Mail and New York Times on my phone apps throughout the day, listen to NPR, National Public Radio, or podcasts while I Walk the Dog, read long-form content from curated Substack writers. And lastly, YouTube gives me the PBS analysis nuggets I want in under 10 minutes. I think I have an addiction. John Minchell in Comox Valley, B.C. We're getting near the end here. I follow the news in a couple of different ways,

mainly through legacy media, although both online and podcasts are part of my news experience as well. My main concern is to get multiple viewpoints from different angles, as I learned in my history classes, that everyone has their own bias, even unconsciously. Therefore, you need to get multiple viewpoints in order to try to gain as complete a picture as possible. David Ennis in Fort Langley, BC. Since retiring, I've had more

time to refine how I consume news. Traditional TV broadcasts, especially local stations and social media, offer little real insight. Instead, I rely on podcasts and recorded TV programs, which I fast-forward through to save time. To get a well-rounded perspective, I focus on shows that feature expert interviews and in-depth analysis. As for Apple News, I've given up on it. I can't seem to filter out the word Trump. Jim Best in Foxborough, Ontario. That's near Belleville. I refuse to receive my information from social media. More and more I am reading the news online from what I presume to be reliable sources, which have invested in solid reporting practices. I subscribe to the Globe and Mail and the New York Times.

Over the course of time, a familiarity and trust is developed with journalists and contributors. There is something about actually reading the written word that makes the news more understandable. You can proceed at your own pace and re-read a sentence if necessary for clarity. Etienne Riel in Saint-Adèle, Quebec. It's in the Laurentians. I bet it's gorgeous right now. Maybe cold, but the snow. It's about 70 clicks north of Montreal. As my job requires me to spend much time driving and working in various locations across eastern Canada, the most efficient way for me to consume news-related content is podcasts.

Whether it's behind the wheel on my commute or working outside with my headphones on, I listen to the latest news stories coverage from credited sources such as both the CBC and Rata Canada daily. I've always revered the fashion in which they break down news in a true and unbiased way. Ryan LaVia in Thunder Bay. I'm a college-educated millennial and consider myself well-informed. For over a year now, I've been paying digital subscriber fees to both the Globe and Mail and the New York Times, two excellent publications that I wish I had subscribed to sooner.

People often complain that paying for news isn't necessary with all the free options out there, but I disagree. Give a quality news source a chance. You got it. You know, news isn't, you know, journalism isn't, it's not free. It costs money to do it. Okay, here's our last letter for this week.

And it sounds like it's a movie, right? The address. It comes from Haynes Junction in the Yukon. Isabel Biggs is the writer. Haynes Junction, Yukon, is at the junction of the Haynes and Alaska highways. It's at the entrance to the Kluane National Park. Here's what Isabel writes. Yes, I have changed the way I follow and consume the news,

and it's thanks to you. I've always respected and enjoyed how you bring the news to the world and to my little neck of the woods. I still watch The National on CBC, streaming right now, actually, and thanks to your podcast, The Bridge, I learned of your newsletter. The Buzz, Saturday mornings, 7 a.m. it comes out. Subscribe, it's free. You subscribe at thenationalnewswatch.com slash newsletter.

Sorry. I learned of your newsletter and that has opened up a safe new world of excellent reporting for me. There's so much junk, misinformation, and downright lies. I didn't know where or even how to find real information. Now I'm connecting with the news people that you follow and even signed up with my favorites. You're turning me into a political junkie. I love being informed and not misled.

Well, thank you, Isabel. Thanks to all of you. Another week of great letters, and these are just some. There were lots of letters this week. And while there were some repeaters in there, there were so many first-time writers, and it's great to have you with us. It's an element of our program that I worried about at first,

doing a Your Turn on Thursdays, but I'm so glad I did it because I've learned so much about the country, and sometimes just simply through the names. Haynes Junction, Yukon. Love it. Anyway, so listen, thanks so much for all your letters this week and a real reflection on how things have changed from your end on the news business. All right, tomorrow it is good talk.

Chantelle Hebert and Rob Russo will be here. Another big week on the political front. Some new polls starting to creep in that suggest that the national race might be a little tighter than we've been saying. We'll talk about that. But we'll talk about some other things too, some other important developments that are happening in the liberal leadership race. We'll get to that as well.

So that's all coming up tomorrow, right here on The Bridge. Thanks so much for listening. It's been a treat. Talk to you again in a little less than 24 hours.