525 – Topics

00:03 Journey into journalism: CBC radio documentary on Canadians joining Kurdish (YPG) militias in Iraq and Syria to fight against ISIS, CBC’s radio mentorship program, personal motivations for joining foreign militias in mid-east, “just as bad” – the call of moral relativism, producing documentary for CBC, a role for public broadcasting, popular versus important, journalism’s journey towards non profit, no money in news reporting, Steve Paikin and public broadcasting, National Public Radio (NPR)

16:35 The new millenial: motivations for fighting ISIS, searching for the struggle for struggle, soldier stereotypes, experience in Canada’s military reserves, Kurds versus ISIS, good versus evil, hunger for success, from comfort to hardship, millenials and values – from family to fame, entitlement problem, state of the world, lessons from history, fighting injustice as a motivator, moral philosophy, political ideology versus religious ideology, revolutionary socialists versus facists, PEGIDA rally in London, Islamophobia and moral relativism

32:00 Western’s values: journalism at Western University, contrast between middle-America and NPR journalists, journalism’s self-imposed bubble, not representative of the public, political bias vs cultural bias, the balance of ethical journalism, taking freedom of speech seriously, sense of journalistic entitlement to fame, picking a news story by letting the story pick you, good opinion columnists were good reporters, students – not instructors – as source of political correctness, Western University’s free speech oasis

44:50 Left behind: media bias during last US election, media disconnect with public, Trump’s connection with the public, media’s focus on ratings instead of news, Trump supporters – isolationists vs hawks, re-examining trade and immigration, liberal democracy as final form of government, offensive to who, Justin Trudeau and Canada’s Liberal Party, Conservatives constantly defending against false perceptions, unprofessional journalism, asking each side the tough questions

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