I have been a loyal World podcast listener since about 2019. It was nice to find a news podcast that gave me perspectives and stories I couldn’t always find on mainstream media news networks. The World claims its aim is to provide “Biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires.” I would say that it is succeeding in its aim to Inform, Educate and Inspire. I really appreciate many aspects of The World’s program--especially what I’ve learned about the Supreme Court & the Economy on Mondays, about World News on Wednesdays, and I also appreciate Culture Friday and the movie reviews we get most Fridays.
However, ever since I started listening to The World & Everything In It years ago, I have always been bothered by the claim that they provide “Biblically objective” journalism. The World hosts and commentators have a clear and unapologetic Conservative bias that permeates the stories they choose to cover, and how they cover those stories. While it is helpful to hear news from the perspective of the Right, since mainstream media tends to lean Left, I do not believe The World can claim to be “Biblically Objective” while also filtering all coverage through a Conservative lens.
This has not been more clear or more concerning to me than it has this past month during the unrest in Minneapolis, MN. As someone who lives and works in the Minneapolis area, I have been incredibly disappointed with the narrow, one-sided perspective The World has provided for its listeners. Every morning I start the podcast hoping to hear them cover the whole story of what is happening in MN, and so far, every morning I have been disappointed. The World has covered the fraud in MN, which is definitely a big story, but it’s not the only story. The World has covered the violent protestors and the protestors who invaded Cities Church in St. Paul. That is an important story and the actions of the protestors appalling. However, those are not the only stories.
The World has ignored the most important story of all--the story of the immigrants at the center of everything happening. The World’s silence is telling. It tells me that The World assumes all immigrants are illegal criminals and that everything the Trump administration, ICE and Homeland Security are doing is right. But that is not the reality. Why are you not telling the stories of LEGAL immigrants and U.S. CITIZENS that have been aggressively, violently detained and separated from their families? Why are you not telling the stories of the thousands of immigrants--including LEGAL immigrants--who are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being taken by ICE? These are not stories made up by the mainstream media. These things are actually happening to people I know. Why is The World not sending a correspondent to MN to talk to immigrant churches and ministries with first-hand accounts of what is happening? Why are you not talking about the refugees, who have already been thoroughly vetted and have waited years to come to the U.S., who are now being swept away by ICE agents to detainment in Texas for re-questioning, and then left to figure out how to get back home to MN on their own? If ICE were in MN to focus on removing dangerous criminals from the streets, I could support that. If ICE respectfully detains and removes immigrants who are here illegally, I can respect that. But the lack of dignity and respect, and the violence directed at innocent people who have come to the US LEGALLY, is appalling. The World’s silence in the face of this injustice is also appalling.
We are called to love and help foreigners. That is NOT a call for open borders, as some of your commentators have suggested. We can desire secure borders AND compassionate, lawful treatment of the immigrants and refugees in our communities. They are not mutually exclusive. This does not have to be a Right vs. Left issue, but The World is contributing to that false choice.
World, I ask you to do better. You do your listeners a disservice by not providing the whole story, and only offering perspectives that confirm your own or your listeners’ existing biases. I ask you to set aside your Conservative bias and offer your listeners TRUE Biblical Objectivity. If you cannot do that, then I am sad I will no longer be able to listen to or support this program. I will go in search of a program that does offer news with Biblical objectivity.
