A few years ago, before the growth of the Internet, cable TV, streaming, etc., most of us relied on newspaper combinations and reliable (by us) news reporters to provide the news of the day. !! Perhaps imperfect at best, but it wasn't flooded with conspiracy theories and biased fake news as it is today.
On the other hand, more, more timely, unfortunately, too many people report (or distort / distort) the opinions, attitudes, political / personal agendas, and / or intentionally false reports of others. Prejudice), our personal responsibility is to thoroughly review the news report, evaluate it accurately, and judge and distinguish the actual facts, not the opinions of anyone. With that in mind, this article attempts to briefly consider, investigate, review, and discuss four considerations in order to become a more informed citizen.
1. Is it a "black and white" type problem? : It may seem obvious to some, but not so obvious to others! Does it make sense to find out what the options are, not just the actual facts? Is this yes-or-no, one-way, or another situation, or are those options between-? With more effort, we may benefit from achieving a true heart-to-heart encounter for greater benefit, but why everything seems to ultimately be a matter of partisanship. Is it? What are the potential impacts of certain actions and / or postpone them?
2. Opinions / Interpretations, vs. Data: We often witness data being misunderstood, misunderstood, misused, etc., either intentionally or not. People in a particular, political / partisan position often select, select, and apply only some of the issues! If you want to evaluate a news report thoroughly, look at the actual data, not the interpretation or opinion. If you don't understand what the data means or represent, and you feel you can't listen to the experts who are trying to turn the opinions of the actual experts into facts,
3. Where can I find the evidence / documents? : Avoid blindly accepting someone's opinion / interpretation. Rather, scrutinize specific documents and evidence.
4. Listen with an open mind on both sides: At first, even if you disagree with your personal opinion, try listening with an open mind. The more information you have, the more you can learn what makes sense and what doesn't.
Just don't complain or complain about fake news. But get ready to do something. The more you know and understand, the better choices you can make!