My article last week was also on politics, go check it out. I don't identify as a political writer, nor would I want to. But in today's political climate, who doesn't have an opinion? Sure, I listen to NPR and watch the news. I even watch FOX News from time to time. Admittedly, mostly when CNN is on commercial. Regardless, I am better informed because of this.
People shouldn't limit their news sources, even if they don't like what they hear.
This is a fundamental fall in many citizens understanding of the news in the United States. Many people, most people I would say, limit the sources of news out of preference, not necessity. There is a clear distinction between preference and necessity. Limiting your news sources out of necessity would involve you having little say in the matter.
Limiting out of necessity means that there is no other way for you to get your news besides the source that is under your nose. This is a fundamental lack of choice. In the United States and in most parts of the globe, we don't have this issue. Sure, there are some totalitarian governments which limit free speech and freedom of the press. China, Myanmar, North Korea, Venezuela, to name a few.
But in most of the developed world, we don't suffer from this lack of choice. We suffer from the FREEDOM of choice. We limit ourselves out of preference. There are too many options. We are bombarded from every side by hundreds of news sources, each with different opinions and diverse perspectives.
How do we handle all of this information? WE CANNOT HANDLE IT.
So what do we do with this information? We filter it out. This filter is a blessing and a curse. We have the option to turn on one TV channel or the other, but we stick with the source that filters nicely. We stick with the source which best fits our filter, the source which best fits our preferences.
By doing this, we are no better off than those who are limited out of necessity.
If you wish to be a better-informed citizen, capable of speaking on a variety of subjects with diverse perspectives, you must move away from your comfort zone. You cannot hope to be properly informed when all of your news and information comes from one source.
Thankfully for you, there is a simple solution to this problem.
Turn on the TV and flip to your usual news channel. This works best if there is a breaking story or some big news of the day. If its CNN, MSNBC, or FOX, pay attention to what they are saying and how the news is being communicated. Alright, now change to the station you typically do not watch. Listen to what they are saying and how they are communicating the news.
I can almost guarantee that the foundation of the information you are hearing is the same. The key difference is communication. The method of delivery changes from source to source, but the news is usually the same. You may think that the reporting is different because it is. There are hundreds of different people working to bring you a different story. This is called perspective.
Perspective is paramount to your understanding of the news.
The worst thing that can happen when you do this is for you to say that the second source is wrong. They are not wrong. Sure, every news source occasionally makes false claims. CNN does this, MSNBC does this, FOX does this. Lucky for us, because of a little thing called consumer protection, news sources are forced to admit their mistakes. The source isn't wrong, you are just limiting yourself out of preference.
The key to becoming a better-informed citizen and student of the news is perspective. Having a new perspective can and will change the way you perceive the world. It is like going to a new country for the first time and really seeing for yourself how other inhabitants of the world live. You can gain this perspective without leaving your normal routine.
All you have to do is build in a little time each day to see things from a new perspective.
