politics

Perhaps it makes people uncomfortable when their own biases are questioned. Most of us here will gladly go on all day about right wing bias while denying any from the left. I would rather be told if my viewpoint seems off as long as it's in a constructive way. There's a lot I don't know or understand, and having others correct us is how we learn, and that should be done with good intent.

NPR is always a fun one to see how people react to it. The hard left and right both seem to hate on it and swear it leans the opposite of them. If anything, I feel they're too soft on extremism, mainly to the right, but it's curious to see how people can see opposite extremes in whatever they want.

If there's something that I'm really interested in, I'll try to read things for 2 or 3 relatively neutral sources to try to see if I'm getting an accurate view on it. It really doesn't need to be too complex to vet info. NPR, AP, and BBC are my top go tos.

When people are at either end of the political spectrum, that leaves the vast majority of everything else falling into their version of "enlightened centrism."

In the specific post I was alluding to, one of the suggested news sources was Unicorn Riot, which I'm somewhat familiar with. I agree with many positions they back, and I believe what they report is very important to document. But when you're reading an article, and if the story is about the event the author is an active participant in, how is there any argument that the given article is not totally biased?

Now, that is far from saying that article is useless! Quite the opposite, in fact. A first hand account from someone prepared to observe important details of chaotic events as they unfold is extremely valuable information. But they are there, equally, if not moreso, as a participant in said event than as an impartial observer. In that regard, I would never recommend UR as a primary source on an event. If you told me you read a story from Reuters or NYT but said you wished there were something you could read to fill in some gaps or to get some insight into the protest of reasons behind it that you felt that article was lacking, then by all means read something like a Unicorn Riot article!

Activism is important and necessary to improve our world, and I often appreciate the role they play. But activists, by definition, are pushing an agenda, since their entire purpose is to change the status quo. Journalism is collecting accurate info and passing that to the public in a way it can make sense of it. I don't think there should be much overlap in those 2 things.

Unbiased news should be dry and boring, as it isn't getting any "flavor" by its author. So perhaps if you're getting pumped up positively or negatively by what you are reading, step back for a second and evaluate what it is you're reading and trying to see if someone is trying to work on your emotions, and if that is a thing you want.

I won't please everyone with my opinions of course. I do try to make sure I can back up my takes with evidence though, or I try to keep my mouth shut otherwise, at least publicly. 😁