I find it incredibly difficult to trust just about any journalist. Or any writer for that matter. They’ve always got some kind of agenda (and I’m no different I suppose). The press is full of half-truths, scandal and sensationalist crap and I get no pleasure in trying to pick it to bits. However, in the newsroom maelstrom, there’s one team of people who I’ve found myself inherently trusting… almost always. That’s the brilliant Channel 4 News team.

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I trust every single reporter on the Channel 4 News. That’s a whole team of people that I like and believe in. I find that weird because, basically, as a whole, they account for more bodies than the rest of The Media put together. Whatever their vetting process is, I like it.

I find that the Channel 4 News team are the most even-handed bunch in news… or, I guess it’s possible that I happen to agree with what they say or their angle. Who knows? It’s a murky business is news. Whatever, what The Channel 4 News says, goes, in my head. And even when I doubt ‘em, they’re not above reproach. They love the debate. They love it.

In Jon Snow, they’ve got my favourite anchor. He’s authoritative as well as the right side of fun. His recent reports on Northern Ireland’s recent events have been brilliant and never veering into sensationalism. To back up his news, he’s also got a blog, which provides even more brilliant snippets to get your teeth into. He’s also not averse to telling you where he gets his socks and tie combos from.

The rest of the team are great too. Samira Ahmed is slick and smart, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is charming AND bulldog like, Faisal Islam is accessible and informative, Cathy Newman has an impish eye and a forthrightness when faced with wriggling politics, Alex Thomson is a booming common-sense machine who clearly doesn’t take any crap… and the rest who serve are equally brilliant. What’s more, I bet they’re a cracking lot to go on a work’s do with.

Away from the stone-face of news, they find time to have a laugh, or look at the things the rest of the news seems to miss, pop-culturally. Via the show, I’ve seen Jon Snow playing Procol Harum on a Hammond organ and Krishnan, only this afternoon, talking about Spotify and Youtube to Billy Bragg. No other news channel does it… and nor could they.

You see, the rest of TV news is desperate to tell you how incredibly important they are. They demand that you take them seriously before showing brief and bogus heart with a 30 second… and finally. Channel 4 News manages to hit the heavy stuff in its stride without ever wanting to become a part of the news itself… it observes, soaks up and relays. Occasionally, it points the finger and yells when someone isn’t being completely honest with the viewer. However, it’s also not afraid to wander off into whimsy, following a critic around some art gallery or something, breaking up the relentless doom and gloom of world tragedies and crashing stocks.

You can tell that the folks on The Channel 4 News walk the walk… they don’t merely spout rhetoric… they get stuck into the stories, believe in what they say and give praise where praise is due. As a team, they’re thorough and fun to watch… and I love ‘em. They actively embrace new technology (as opposed to use it as mere gimmick), utilizing personal blogs and Twitter to keep us informed. I just found out that Jon Snow was once the beau of the super gorgeous Anna Ford as well… see? Too cool for school.

Channel 4 News, thank you for keeping my faith in the newsroom.