As we all know, most media outlets filter and edit the stories that are fed to the public. News outlets like Calgary’s Global TV and 770 Am sometimes take their cue from their Toronto headquarters. A strange example of this was when Facebook announced its metaverse product. Metaverse was met more with laughter and rolled eyes than it was with excitement. Inexplicably, a local AM radio station carried the story with great gusto as though we also should be excited. One could think that these “news” items were actually paid promotions as a part of some PR campaign by Facebook.
Before we get to the Top-10 Stories in Calgary for 2023, it’s important to consider why a news story is popular. Is it the story itself or a wider social issue the story represents?
In reviewing the Top-10, these may be the actual top concerns of Calgary residents:
- Cost of living (tipping, food costs, homelessness, how our tax money is spent)
- We all want to get home safely (bad driving)
- We love our city (good Samaritans)
How do we really know what the top stories were in Calgary? How about we look for the stories that were most commented on by people – not by minutes of news coverage that no one asked for? We used Reddit to source the most popular stores from 2023.
Here are the actual top 10 Stories in Calgary as voted on by actual Calgarians. So let’s ignore Global, CTV, and CBC TV, the “local news,” and the Calgary Herald – does that thing still exist?
#10 With 2,000 upvotes and 270 comments, a video of a selfish driver speeding through traffic is a construction zone only to get pulled over by the police was the number 10 story in Calgary for 2023.
#9 Another post that got locked was one about an angry pizza restaurant owner in Airdrie. This post got 2,100 upvotes and 705 comments before being locked.
#8 Getting 2,300 upvotes with 478 comments was a post on poor driving etiquette on the Deerfoot.
#7 Around February, Calgary Transit closed a major bus shelter in what was perceived as an attack on the homeless. This post got 2,400 upvotes on 850 comments. The post became a raging debate and got locked from further commenting! Could this have been the actual #1 story in Calgary for 2023? Within those 850 comments, this one got 1,300 upvotes, “I don’t hate homeless people. I hate people who smoke meth in public areas.”
#6 Diana Batten beating Tyler Shandro by 7 votes in Calgary-Arcadia got 2,400 upvotes on 373 comments.
#5 In January, 2023 – 5 Pieces of chicken breast costs $33.55 at a No Frills in Ardrie. This post got 2,400 upvotes with 574 comments.
#4 How Calgary City Hall is ignoring our housing crisis but gave over $800 million for a new Flames stadium gained 2,400 upvotes with 275 comments.
#3 A good Samaritan took it upon himself to clean up the intersection of Memorial and 36 St. SE. This got 3,300 upvotes and 257 comments.
#2 In February, a Alberta Emergency Alert Test joke got 3,400 upvotes and 170 comments.
#1 To Tip or Not to Tip. In May 2023, this story got 1,700 comments and 7,200 upvotes
