[matsemann]

FWIW, it's also easy to claim HN is biased, because people are biased differently, and HN is close to global.

As a northern european, I for instance would say that I often find HN trend conservative, compared to the discourses in my country. But someone from a different part of the world could claim HN to lean progressive, based on their political environment.

So I don't think there is an easy way here. If one were to decide that HN should balance both-sides, who draws where the middle lies?

[kome]

I agree with you. From my Southern European perspective, I don't find this site particularly "progressive" at all. I would describe most of the comments as liberal or centre-right.

And indeed, there is no solution here other than to be tolerant of other opinions, which may come from very different contexts than your own.

american foreign policy often becomes european union migration policy. just remember that, for example, when discussing international affairs.

Having said that, I have to say that HN is one of the communities that is better at dealing with different opinions, from different places. It's much harder on Reddit. On Metafilter, it is absolutely impossible: anything far from mainstream American liberalism is considered taboo.

[dang]

That's a really important point which is unfortunately barely understood at all. I tried to write about it here one time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23308098.

The only thing I'd add to your point is that while HN is certainly global (or let's say highly international), the community is still overwhelmingly from Western countries. (Not all hold pro-Western views, of course, but that's different.) This means that users from non-Western countries who want to contribute views that go against what is commonly believed in the West, have a hard time. We do what we can to help, but unfortunately it's not much, because the forces of large numbers and group psychology are unstoppable, especially together.

[hef19898]

Well, there are things that cannot be bozt-sided:

Everything that violates human right for example. Or direct threats to democracy.

[mlrtime]

I'd be interested in reading a thoughtful discussion on what happened to El Salvador in HN.

I haven't come across one yet.

[mistermann]

Some of us will happily take the non-normative side on things like this as well.

[hef19898]

I take issue with people taking a "non-normative" approach on things like human rights. Especially if donso happily!

[mistermann]

I like when people take issue with me, shame it rarely amounts to much more than the subsequent chaos that ensues because humans refuse to resolve their differences via communication.