In December, I quit my job as a current-affairs radio producer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This month, I wrote an open letter, explaining that I felt a pervasive “woke” ideology and an obsession with identity politics — coupled with a lack of interest in broader issues — had created a climate in which it was difficult to do good journalism.

I was concerned that niche stories — like non-binary Filipinos upset about a lack of LGBT terms in Tagalog, or a list of offensive words Canadians should avoid using, including “brainstorm” and “lame” — had become editorial priorities, while issues that affect people nationwide, like the housing crisis, the opioid epidemic and wealth inequality, went underreported. I was also concerned about a lack of alternate viewpoints on stories, such as vaccine mandates, school closures and lockdowns, and the Dave Chappelle Netflix controversy.

Over the years at the CBC, I came to find our coverage increasingly ideological, and increasingly lacking in critical thinking, but my repeated efforts to push back from within accomplished little. The atmosphere at the network felt stifling and driven by groupthink, with a narrow range of viewpoints represented.

I have since received letters from across my country, and yours, from journalists with strikingly similar experiences — and strikingly similar concerns. I’ve also received many, many messages from members of the public who had, for exactly these reasons, tuned us out.