Why Impartial News Leaves Many Behind

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

In a time of growing inequality, political noise, and social upheaval, the ideal of “balanced” news may no longer be enough — especially for young people, women, and those on the margins of Philippine society.

A study published in the International Journal of Communication titled Who Wants Impartial News? Investigating Determinants of Preferences for Impartiality in 40 Countries found that those who are less powerful — the youth, women, the poor, and the less educated — are more likely to seek news that reflects their lived experiences, not just abstract objectivity.

That’s not because they reject truth.

It’s because they recognize that truth is not always evenly distributed — and neither is visibility in the media.

Young Filipinos, in particular, are tired of neutrality that neutralizes.

In the age of social media and digital-native discourse, they are building their own platforms and following content creators who talk directly about the issues that shape their lives — climate inaction, mental health, fake news, education crisis, labor precarity.

They do not see balance as giving equal weight to all sides — especially when one side denies science, coddles corruption, or attacks rights.

They want clarity, context, and conviction.

You’ll find these values in youth-led initiatives like Break the Fake, Youth Strike 4 Climate, and university publications pushing back against sanitized narratives. These voices are not afraid to challenge power, even when mainstream outlets frame such dissent as “bias.”

But what they’re rejecting is not journalism.

What they’re rejecting is journalism that feels distant, cold, or even complicit — the kind that favors procedure over people.

Too often, our newsrooms stick to the form but forget the soul.

A murder becomes a mere police report. A typhoon becomes a casualty count. A protest becomes a traffic advisory.

Stories on domestic violence rarely explain the power dynamics. Reports on poverty skip over systemic roots. Coverage of education fails to capture the desperation of students forced to juggle learning with labor.

In the name of fairness, we end up producing stories that are emotionally flat and contextually thin.

This detachment especially affects Filipino women.

Mainstream news frequently underrepresents women’s struggles — whether it’s reproductive health, workplace inequality, or gender-based violence. Neutral framing often masks how cultural and legal structures continue to disadvantage women. Meanwhile, online feminist communities and issue-driven outlets like Rappler or Gandang Ganda Sa Sariling Gawa are gaining traction because they speak plainly and powerfully about gender realities.

It is no surprise then that women are among the groups least likely to prefer “impartial” news, according to the study. Many are no longer content with being mentioned — they want to be centered.

What we’re seeing is not the death of objectivity, but a call for a deeper, more humane journalism.

One that acknowledges that where you stand in society affects how you see the news — and how the news sees you.

When people from poorer barangays or distant provinces say they don’t trust “mainstream” media, it is not always because they have been misled. It is often because they have been unseen.

In national headlines, they are rarely the subject unless it’s crime, disaster, or tragedy. Their concerns — rising prices, collapsing public schools, lack of clean water, jeepney phaseouts — are not told with urgency or depth.

And when these same people prefer news that aligns with their views, it’s not just ideology — it’s identity.

It’s a cry for representation. A need for storytelling that doesn’t just report what happened but explains why it matters, especially to those left out of the conversation.

“Impartial” news that feels impersonal will continue to lose relevance.

To remain meaningful, journalism must move beyond the surface of balance and into the heart of the story.

It must be rigorous but also reflective, fair but also fearless.

Because truth is not just what’s in the middle. Sometimes, it’s what’s missing entirely.