July 28, 2016

Biased media

I'm not arguing that the mainstream media don't lean left. I'm arguing that it's a silly criticism because everyone leans somewhere. If leaning disqualifies them, it disqualifies everyone else, too. But does that automatically make them wrong about everything?

Both "sides" exist because they speak to realities and constituencies that must be accounted for. To ignore the arguments of the opposite side is unwise because they serve as a hedge against overlooking valid and vitally important things that impinge directly on your neighbor that you may not realize impinge indirectly on you. To avoid them altogether is foolhardy and leads to tunnel vision. And eventual backlash.

The opposition are not really our opposite. They are our complement. They complete a picture that isn't whole if I only look at my side of things. That's why dismissing any source because it's "biased" is just as bad as accepting anything you hear.

No comments: