In a recent interview with The Tyee, James Hoggan commented on the effects polarizing debates have on us, and what we can do to put an end to them. This are primary subjects of his new book, I’m Right and You’re an Idiot.

When asked if journalism can alter the alarming rhetoric which is becoming common place, Hoggan said, absolutely.

We need more good journalism and less false balance. But we are up against a war on objectivity itself, it argues that you can’t trust anyone, everyone is biased and in it for themselves. No one is really objective and speaking in the public interest. There are no facts, only opinions. As we can see in the U.S., which is ahead of us on this, the media play a role in this assault on reason (CNN, Fox and talk radio).

There are corners of the Internet that are rich with healthy debate and good journalism. Much of the “ignorant commentary” can be left to stew in its own ugliness.

I asked the Dalai Lama a similar question to your question about journalism and he said: “I am always mentioning a Tibetan saying: nine times failure, then nine times effort. This means effort, fail, again effort, again fail, again effort.” He said people today want immediate results, and if they fail they give up and stop trying, “That’s wrong. That is defeat.”

Read the full story on The Tyee: ‘I’m Right and You’re an Idiot’