Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war
Alberta premier meets U.S. officials to promote Calgary as a music hub while Ottawa prepares retaliatory tariffs
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Premier Danielle Smith says her upcoming trip to Tennessee does not send the wrong message after trade negotiations broke down between Canada and the U.S. last month. (CBC)
Photograph: CBC News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will meet U.S. officials in Nashville to promote Calgary as a music industry hub and expand tourism ties.
- The trip comes as Canada prepares retaliatory tariffs on 8 September 2026 in response to U.S. tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods.
- Smith’s office said the meetings are part of ongoing diplomacy efforts, though the trip is personal.
- No right-rated outlet reported on the trip, though it was covered by seven left-rated and three centre-rated outlets.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 15 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
15/100
15 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, later this week on a personal trip. During the visit, she will meet with the head of Nashville’s chamber of commerce, Tennessee state tourism commissioner Mark Ezell, and the chief executive of a Nashville tourism marketing agency. Nathan Cooper, Alberta’s senior representative to the United States, will join the meetings.
Smith described the trip as an opportunity to learn how Nashville became a music industry hub and to explore partnerships that could position Calgary as a similar destination. She also said Alberta aims to expand its tourism economy. The meetings are set against the backdrop of an ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods on 22 August 2026. Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs are scheduled to take effect on 8 September 2026. Trade talks between the two countries broke down before the U.S. tariffs were implemented, with Prime Minister Mark Carney stating that the U.S. demands were excessive.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet ran the story. None of the digests from left-rated or centre-rated outlets mentioned the $27.6 billion figure for the U.S. tariffs or the 50% rate. The music industry focus of Smith’s meetings was omitted from all digests except CBC News and CTV News.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 7 times, most recently on 2 Sept 2026, 14:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
8 rated outlets
- The seven left-rated reports led on Smith’s defence of the trip as a diplomatic effort. CBC News and CTV News, the only outlets with full reports, quoted Smith directly: “I hope no one’s surprised to hear that I believe it’s my job to continue reaching out at all levels to various influencers in the United States.” Both reports framed the meetings as part of broader diplomacy amid the trade dispute.
- CBC News included Smith’s statement that the trip was personal but that she would “take advantage of some of the expertise” in Nashville. It also noted her goal of positioning Calgary as “Nashville north” and her interest in transferring talent and expertise from Tennessee’s music industry. The report mentioned the breakdown of trade talks and Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- The three centre-rated reports carried Smith’s denial that the trip sent the wrong message. CTV News, which published a full report, quoted her statement that the U.S.-Canada relationship was an “incredible economic partnership, trade partnership, defence partnership.” The report also included her comments on Calgary’s music industry ambitions and the timing of the retaliatory tariffs.
- Castanet and the Winnipeg Free Press, which published digests, summarised Smith’s defence of the trip and the context of the trade war. Neither digest mentioned the music industry or tourism aspects of the meetings.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war?
- Of the 12 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 33% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 15. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 12 rated outlets on this story, 67% are rated left, 33% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war biased?
- Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war is one event reported by 15 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Danielle Smith defends Tennessee trip amid Canada-U.S. trade war?
- 15 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why is Danielle Smith travelling to Nashville?
- Smith is travelling to Nashville on a personal trip but will meet U.S. officials to promote Calgary as a music industry hub and expand tourism ties. The meetings are part of her stated diplomacy efforts amid a trade dispute between Canada and the U.S.
- What are the U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods?
- U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods starting 22 August 2026. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs are set to take effect on 8 September 2026 in response.
- Which outlets reported on Smith’s trip?
- Seven left-rated outlets and three centre-rated outlets reported on the trip. No right-rated outlet covered the story. CBC News and CTV News published full reports; the rest were digests.
Read it at the source
15 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
8- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message amid trade war (opens CBC News in a new tab)
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens Bowen Island Undercurrent in a new tab)
Bowen Island Undercurrent — is Bowen Island Undercurrent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Danielle Smith says Tennessee trip isn’t sending wrong message during trade war (opens Global News in a new tab)
Global News — is Global News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens thealbertan.com in a new tab)
thealbertan.com — is thealbertan.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens WellandTribune.ca in a new tab)
WellandTribune.ca — is WellandTribune.ca biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta’s Smith says Tennessee trip isn’t sending wrong message during trade war (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta’s Smith says Tennessee trip isn’t sending wrong message during trade war (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
4- Alberta’s Casino Launch Redraws Canada’s Digital Borders (opens NetNewsLedger in a new tab)
NetNewsLedger — is NetNewsLedger biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens Castanet in a new tab)
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens CTV News in a new tab)
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
3- Alberta’s Smith says Tennessee trip isn’t sending wrong message during trade war (opens Loonie Politics in a new tab)
Loonie Politics — is Loonie Politics biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens Western Investor in a new tab)
Western Investor — is Western Investor biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta's Smith says Tennessee trip isn't sending wrong message during trade war (opens Airdrie City View in a new tab)
Airdrie City View — is Airdrie City View biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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