Impartiality is often thought of as the gold standard of rigorous and fair minded media. The idea that there are certain things on which we can all agree, and from these principles we can have ‘balanced’ and ‘non-partisan’ media, is baked deeply into many Western institutions. But this idea is a fantasy argues John Budarick. We need to understand that impartiality is impossible and the very belief in it justifies the prejudices and tribalism that we seek to avoid.

In 2021 Mark Ryan, then Executive Director of the Judith Nielson Institute for Journalism and Ideas in Australia, lamented how increasingly difficult it is to remain non-partisan in an increasingly complex social and political world. The blame, as it so often is, was placed by Ryan at the feet of social media, ideological tribes and a breakdown of collective faith in a known and shared world.