Media heavily tilted in F-35's favour: report
Champions of jet deal quoted 41 per cent more often than critics
I love the CBC – but sometimes I just don’t get it. Like earlier this month when the National did a largely uncritical story on the F-35 fighter jet from a U.S. training base.
“CBC’s David Common goes to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona…,” said the CBC report. “When it comes to pilots training in the air, it’s politics aside and off the radar.”
Politics aside? The uber expensive F-35 aircraft is being foisted upon Canada by an American President intent on ruining our economy… of course it’s political.
Why does it often feels like the media is not reporting fairly on the controversial F-35?
A new report published by The Maple sheds important light on the question of media fairness.
The Maple’s analysis finds that Canada’s major media outlets have given disproportionately favourable coverage to proponents of buying American F-35 fighter jets, compared with critics.
Since Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a review of the controversial F-35 deal—which originally would have seen Canada purchase 88 jets from Lockheed Martin—The Maple analyzed 55 articles from CBC News, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and National Post. It found that champions of the deal were quoted 41% more often than critics.
Reporter and researcher Emma Paling asked me my opinion about her findings. I told her that the result was not surprising:
“You just can’t underestimate the power of the defence lobby to mobilize experts, academic researchers that they fund, military leaders who hope to retire early and work for defence contractors at some point, or even just ideologically aligned people in government or in the national security establishment who really have a great allegiance to working closely with the United States.”
Paling notes that many of those quoted in favour of the F-35 deal are current or former military personnel, defence think-tank associates (some with industry funding) or Lockheed Martin affiliates.
In the articles, 22 of the quoted individuals spoke 41 times in favour of Canada going through with the full order from Lockheed Martin.
Six of those quoted are current or former members of the military, six work for Lockheed Martin or one of its F-35 program suppliers, and four are associated with think-tanks that have received funding from Lockheed Martin.
One of the former military officials, former chief of defence staff Tom Lawson, previously consulted for Lockheed Martin a year after leaving the military, according to his LinkedIn page.
Sources who were categorized as against or critical of the deal included Saab’s CEO, who stands to benefit if Canada orders fighter jets from his company instead, and findings by the Auditor General, who is neutral but whose studies into the costs of the F-35 purchase were often cited in criticisms of the deal.
Bomb truck
I told Paling, “It’s a bomb truck. That’s what it is. It’s designed to go in over the beaches… to deliver bombs to its target,” and added, “I know some have argued that it has other support roles…, but really that’s its main purpose, and it’s really not something that we need.”
Read “Canadian Media Gives American Fighter Jets More Favourable Coverage” by Emma Paling, published by The Maple on February 24, 2026
Readers divided on jobs and human rights
Opinions are divided over whether we can have jobs in the defence industry while respecting human rights. Last week PeaceQuest looked at PM Carney’s plan to boost arms exports by 50%, and the challenge of preventing weapons from being sold to countries that don’t respect human right.
Half of PeaceQuest readers had faith in the Prime Minister, with 40% saying they strongly agreed and 10% somewhat agreed that, “PM Carney can create jobs while ensuring arms aren’t sold to countries that violate human rights.” A nearly equal number did not share that optimism, with 33% strongly disagreeing and 13% somewhat disagreeing.
Of course the media will love the F-35. A big reason it is expensive is the budget to sell it, like a razor with ten blades. Nobody needs an aircraft that complicated and compromised by versatility, but with enough PR, it can dazzle the buyers.