Anyone watching a variety of television news channels must conclude that news channels only report the news they want you to know. As such, ACTUAL NEWS goes through a filter before it reaches you and me. What gets filtered out depends upon the channel that you watch. Some channels filter out almost any news that might put conservatives in a positive light or liberals/progressives in a negative light. Other channels (and there are few) strive to place conservatives in a positive light and those on the other side in a negative light.
Last week offered a perfect example. When documentation was released from Twitter showing that when the Democratic National Committee contacted them and asked that the Hunter Biden lap top story be buried, people in senior management at the company found some way to bury it, even by going against its own policies. Fox News covered this on an almost continuous fashion. CNN gave the story 10 minutes coverage and all other channels gave it zero time.
Unfortunately, most people (and I am guilty of this) tend to get their news from one source only. This means that we hear only what that outlet would like us to hear. Here is another example. My mother-in-law is a staunch Democratic voter.
Unfortunately, most people...tend to get their news from one source only
There are two reasons for this. First, she has always voted Democrat. Secondly, the big networks stations that she goes to for news demonize conservatives and works to make Democrats, including the current administration look good. A few months ago I asked her if she knew that for the fiscal year ending on September 30, it was projected that over 2 million people would have crossed the southern border illegally and more than half of those would be allowed to stay. She had never heard such a thing. I could tell that she doubted that I was telling her the truth.
Of course this is not a one way street. If anyone watches Fox News or NewsMax they will seldom hear an anchor or commentator speak positively about a liberal or progressive.
Here is the question. With our news being filtered, how can we get objective information so that we get a complete picture of what is going on in the world? Is there any source of information that will allow us to make up our own minds?
With our news being filtered, how can we get objective information
Studies have been done to determine which news outlets provide accurate information. Objective studies will indicate that most of the major outlets that you are familiar with provide pretty accurate information on the stories they report. I have never seen a study looking at what outlets choose not to report stories that are relevant and important for people to know.
Here is what I suggest and intend to do myself:
First, when you seek out your news, go to programs where little commentary is provided along with the news. In every case, the commentary seeks to tell you what you should think about the news that is presented. Pure news sources will likely provide you fairly accurate information on the news that they report.
Secondly, force yourself to go to a variety of sources for your news. One day, watch a network news cast and on another day, watch a conservative newscast. On a third day, watch a newscast from a far left source such as MSNBC. Again, seek the programs that do not comment on the news, but simply present the news. I know, it is hard to find such programs. However, using this approach will at least allow you to hear more of the news, and from different perspectives, not just what an individual outlet wants you to hear.
If you know of a good news source that you believe is objective, please let me know. I’d love to find one!
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