Something has been nagging at me lately. A lot of Very Sensible People seem to think that only consuming news from outlets that lean your way politically is a Bad Thing. Furthermore, they say Both Sides are guilty of this. If only we could break out of our bubbles, Things Would Be Better.
But I have some problems with this bit of common wisdom. If one person says the sky is blue and another says it is red, the sky is not in fact purple. One side in this disagreement is wrong and the other is right. I watch MSNBC. Everyone knows that the hosts on its primetime shows are liberals. I do not watch Fox. Everyone knows that the same is true for that network, only they are conservatives. Here’s the thing, though. Rachel Maddow doesn’t lie to her viewers. Sean Hannity does. It may sound reasonable to say that I could use a healthy dose of conservative thought to moderate my otherwise liberal news diet, but do I really need a side order of lies to complete this healthy meal? Surely this would not improve anything for me.
And besides, I’m not just looking for news. I’m out for more than just sterile factoids. I want someone to help me understand what these facts mean. Even more, I want someone to help me understand what these facts mean to me, or at least what they mean to someone who views the world largely as I do. I will definitely not get that by watching Fox. Even assuming that Tucker Carlson tells me something that is not a lie, he will definitely not help me understand the significance of whatever it is as it relates to someone who views the world as I do.
I am not tuning in to have my world view challenged. Of course it is healthy to question your assumptions now and then and to be familiar with the ideas of people who see things differently. But that is not what I am looking for in my evening news. And even if I were, I would not be turning to sources that I deem outright deceitful.