Neutrothinking

A form of groupthink masquerading as impartiality, where a group (often in media, academia, or diplomacy) adopts a stance of enforced "neutrality" that systematically favors the status quo or a powerful party. The unspoken group norm is to avoid taking a "side" by treating unequal arguments as equally valid, thereby providing intellectual cover for injustice or false balance. Dissent is framed as "bias," while the group's own centrist bias remains invisible.

Example: A mainstream news panel on climate change features one climate scientist and one oil industry lobbyist. The editors believe this is "balanced." This Neutrothinking creates a false equivalence, privileging the lobbyist's funded talking points and misleading the public by framing a settled scientific issue as a he-said/she-said debate.

by Dumuabzu February 5, 2026