Who Really Controls What We See and Hear?

Who Really Controls What We See and Hear? By Dale Jodoin Have you ever wondered who decides what news we hear every day? Who chooses what stories show up on TV, in newspapers, and on the internet? Many people think the news is always honest and tells the truth. But that’s not always the case. In Canada today, the truth is often hidden, and the people who control the news are not doing it to help regular Canadians—they’re doing it to keep their power. In Canada, a lot of newspapers and news websites get money from the government. That means the people we vote for—like the Prime Minister and his team—are giving money to the same people who write the news. This is a big problem. When someone gives you money, they expect something in return. It’s just like if someone paid you to say something nice about them. Would you still tell the truth if that truth made them look bad? Many news reporters today don’t want to upset the government because they might lose their funding. So instead of reporting the real news, they write stories that make the Liberal government look good—even when it’s not. You may have seen polls on TV or online that say the Liberal Party is ahead in the election. But if you ask your neighbors, your parents, or your teachers, they might say something different. So who’s right? The truth is, polls can be used to trick people. They might only ask certain groups of people or only show numbers that make one side look better. Right now, even though many Canadians are unhappy with the government, the news still says the Liberals are winning. Why? Because the people running the news are being paid by the government and their friends. The people who are paying to keep the Liberals in power are not strangers. Many of them are Liberal insiders, union bosses, and people connected to the NDP. These are people who already have power, and they want more. They don’t care if regular Canadians are struggling. They want to control the money, the rules, and the choices Canadians are allowed to make. Unions used to be about helping workers. A long time ago, they fought for fair pay and better working conditions. But today, many big unions care more about their own leaders than the workers they are supposed to protect. They spend millions of dollars supporting the government, even when the government isn’t doing what’s best for the country. Why? Because it helps them keep their power. It doesn’t stop at the news. The government also controls what kids learn in school. They decide what books you read, what topics are taught, and what is said in the classroom. Some kids are not even learning how to think for themselves anymore. They are being told what to think. When you only hear one side of the story over and over, you start to believe it—even if it’s not true. That’s how the government uses teachers and schools to make sure young people grow up believing whatever they are told. If you try to ask questions or think differently, some people might call you names like “far-right” or “dangerous,” just because you want the truth. When people start thinking for themselves, it scares those in power. That’s why the media and government often try to divide us. They tell us to be angry at certain groups. They say if someone disagrees with the government, they must be a bad person. They use words like "racist" or "extremist" to try and shut people up. This makes people afraid to speak their minds. They worry they’ll lose friends or get in trouble for asking honest questions. In a free country, this should never happen. Young people today live on the internet. They use phones, computers, and social media every day. The government knows this. That’s why they try to control what we can see online, too. They say it’s to “protect” people, but really it’s to control what stories are told and what voices are heard. If someone posts a video or article that goes against the government’s message, it might be taken down or hidden. That’s not freedom. That’s control. And the more we let it happen, the worse it will get. If we want to be free, we have to be brave. That means standing up for the truth, even when it’s hard. It means asking questions, thinking for ourselves, and not believing everything we hear on the news or read online. It means supporting real people who care about Canada—not just the ones who want power or money. It also means knowing that we might lose friends or even upset family members. But freedom is more important than being liked by everyone. If we don’t speak up now, the next generation may grow up in a country where no one can think for themselves. This isn’t a wild story or a made-up idea. This is the world we are living in right now. If the government can pay the news to lie, if unions and insiders can buy power, and if kids are being taught not to ask questions—then we are not as free as we think. We need to be careful. We need to be strong. And most of all, we need to stay free.