The View from Somewhere

Hallin’s spheres

At 11 minutes into this podcast episode, David Mindich provides an overview of Hallin’s spheres.

Hallin divides the world of political discourse into three concentric spheres: consensus, legitimate controversy, and deviance. In the sphere of consensus, journalists assume everyone agrees. The sphere of legitimate controversy includes the standard political debates, and journalists are expected to remain neutral. The sphere of deviance falls outside the bounds of legitimate debate, and journalists can ignore it. These boundaries shift, as public opinion shifts.

Wikipedia: Hallin's spheres

I learned about this podcast from Sandy and Nora in their episode, Canada’s democratic deficit.