Dear Editor
Thank you聽for the hard work you put into the News Optimist. I read it weekly, and find it quite helpful to stay up to date with events in our community.
I鈥檝e been interested to see, over the past months, small text boxes scattered throughout the paper encouraging readers to 鈥渟pot fake news.鈥澛燭his is a good set of skills to develop. Ironically, however, on page 5 of the Jan. 2 edition, I saw the question 鈥渋s the perspective biased?鈥� right next to Brian Zinchuk鈥檚 column. And the non-rhetorical answer is 鈥渙f course!鈥�
Zinchuk鈥檚 writing, while technically well-executed, is definitely biased. He is the editor of Pipeline News, and always provides a very pro-pipeline perspective. It makes me wonder if the News Optimist editorial team assumes that everyone in our community shares that view. There are many of us, from various parts of the political spectrum, who are deeply concerned about climate change, environmental pollution, species loss, and general ecological breakdown. Zinchuk鈥檚 views are by no means universal in the Battlefords and surrounding regions. To continue to give him a full and regular column sends the wrong message about our community, and silences other voices and convictions.
So, 鈥渋s the perspective biased?鈥澛燳es, and it鈥檚 time for that to stop.
Rev. Shawn Sanford Beck
on the shores of Murray Lake
