The Topline
- Canada’s newest national publication presents two in-depth perspectives with every story, to provide readers with a more balanced and nuanced view of the news and the cultural issues impacting the country
- Each perspective is presented on one side of the article page, and readers can switch between sides using the buttons POV buttons – just like in this article here
One story. Two perspectives.
Hey, hi. Nice to see you here.
The Level was born out of this idea that the news in Canada – and elsewhere – is steeped in bias, with media organizations torquing their coverage too hard one way or the other. As a result, trust in the news media is in the toilet.
We think readers deserve better. Rather than tell you what to think, The Level presents two distinct sides for every story we cover, so readers can make up their own minds on where they stand on any given issue.
Each article begins with a topline set of indisputable facts, followed by one perspective on what those facts mean. Then, you switch to a second point of view with the click of a button. Flip back and forth as many times as you like between the sides. Voila.
It’s easy to think we’ll only cover politics with a concept like this, and that this will be a forum for right-vs-left dialogue on any given issue. There will be some of that – but that’s not all there is in our culture, and we aim to reflect that.
But when we do cover politics, we'll ensure that the arguments presented have merit and that there’s substance behind them. We won’t publish any perspective or argument, no matter how notable, that’s made in bad faith. No disinformation here. It’s our job to get to the root of a story – say, the U.S.’s trade war with Canada, or the pipeline disputes between Alberta and B.C. – without falling for bogus arguments, or lies, on those issues.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about why we’re doing this – and how this website even works – press that fun purple button right below this sentence. Yeah. That one.
It's a new alternative
If you're open-minded like us, finding thoughtful perspectives and analysis from "the other side" is more challenging than it needs to be. Algorithms only show us what it thinks we want to read or see. Or we have to seek out those perspectives on our own, sifting through disinformation and bogus reporting to find the good stuff. Who has that much time on their hands?
So we're trying it this way. As I wrote on the other side, trust in the news media is at an all-time low. But we also understand how vital a healthy media ecosystem is to Canadian society – especially right now, with everything going on, and at a time when our collective media diets are over-seasoned with mis- and disinformation.
The Level is designed as an alternative, independent news source for anyone feeling hopeless or confused by the deluge of negative coverage and biased reporting, or are craving more balance in their media diet. We think this format helps meet readers where they are – used to swiping on their phones, and always seeking something different.
And yes – I’m well aware there are more than two perspectives on most issues. By giving equal weight to at least two of these, we’re giving readers a broader understanding of the story. You don’t have to agree with the other side – or either side, for that matter – but it’s important to understand another side in order to properly understand what is happening.
This is a new way to present the news and we’re excited about where it could go. I hope you’ll join us. Please subscribe to our newsletter , and follow us on Tik Tok , Instagram and Bluesky (and X, if you're still on there).
