so is everyone here except me.

I'd say they avoid this label by staying focused on media criticism rather than weighing in on every issue. They're not revolutionaries by any stretch, sure, but their positions feel pretty cleanly left of lib. Sometimes they get a libbed up guest and it leads to a disappointing ep, but those aren't that common imo.

Do they still ban people when they're asked about China?

They're definitely not. Nobody doing what they do could be for long.