I know this will shock some of my friends that want to continue to try to put me into an ideological box, but I think the Obama administration’s rant against Fox News is just another example of getting absorbed and distracted by the fluff over the substance.  I don’t have time for it when it comes from pundits and politicians on the right and I don’t have time for it when it comes from pundits and politicians on the left.

Every administration has their preferred media outlets, former VP Dick Cheney wouldn’t even let the New York Times travel with him, much less grant interviews.  I believe every savy news consumer should use a multitude of sources for their news and that all news outlets often get the facts wrong…TV media more often than print, but they all do it nonetheless.  Only by piecing together the various half-truths and incomplete analyses can you ever get to something that resembles what is really happening.

The reality is it’s impossible to be an expert on everything and that even when journalists are striving to be fair, they rely on experts for their stories, and therefore introduce bias.  The best journalism is in-depth journalism that tries to bring in as many perspectives as possible to start to reflect the whole picture, but most TV and newspaper news is not in-depth, it’s done on a short deadline and only scratches the surface of the real story. 

Personally, I have almost completely cut out TV news from my news consumption pattern, by personal choice.  I rely more on daily newspapers online, along with their comments that may inform as well as incite; commentary on websites and other online outlets; sites like Factcheck.org and Politifact.com that go behind the initial story and analyze it; and in-depth pieces in news magazines like the Atlantic and others.

Ever since my friend Dr. Taylor made this statement, I have returned to it for reference many times.  The biggest deficit we are dealing with in political debate today is the lack of ability to think critically.  That goes for people at every point on the political spectrum.  I seek out those who, whatever their political beliefs and ideology, are willing to look at and analyze facts to see another person’s point-of-view or perhaps arrive at a different conclusion.  The idea that every argument is equally valid is patently ridiculous, but it’s become a more and more commonly held belief. 

Of course, all sides of an argument have merit, but that doesn’t mean they have equal merit.  A skill that many have lost in the course of political debate is to acknowledge the truth that is embedded in every argument, but then responding to that truth with their own evidence  instead of ranting about the “lies” from the other side.  I struggle with that as much as the next person (as some of my interactions on Twitter will attest), but I can say I strive to be the person who brings reason and I know that when I take the time to reflect on what the other person is saying (and understand it) I can break down almost any barrier.

I hope this is read in the spirit it is intended, not as a diatribe against one side or the other, but a statement to those of all political persuassions to think before you speak or write and to consider honestly that the person you are responding to may have a world view that is different than yours, but that world view doesn’t make them good or bad.  And, finally, to read and observe ALL media (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs) as also representing a point of view and analyze the information that is being presented critically.

As always, your thoughts and comments are appreciated below.

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