Is it safe to believe what you read about the world?The Guardian's Latin America correspondent Rory Carroll has been accused of lacking impartiality in his reporting of current affairs in socialist Venezuela and neighbouring Colombia. Sebastian Kennedy weighs up the evidence, and considers the broader issue: is impartiality desirable, or even possible, when reporting news abroad?
Are the protesters being fair?As demonstrations against China’s miserable human rights record grow in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, a growing consensus is emerging in western media that any and all criticism levelled at the world’s newest superpower is entirely justified. In response to this, free-thinking online magazine spiked has launched its latest campaign, “Challenging China-bashing”. Is this a breath of fresh air in a media climate poisoned by groupthink, or is it unjustified and unconstructive contrarianism dressed up as independent thought? Sebastian Kennedy investigates
