False balance, ie to give two sides of an argument similar attention, maximises the drama of a conflict, serves the attention economy, and ultimately maximises profits of the media. For example, a talkshow, where everybody agrees on a topic, would hardly attract many viewers.  However, presenting a topic as an undecided, ongoing discussion instead of the scientific consensus (ie there is a climate crisis, vaccines protect your health,…) is a distortion of reality and a great danger for individuals and society.