It doesn’t take a genius to realize that pretty much any media outlet has its faults.

Whether it’s demonstrated to be on the left or the right, or somewhere in between is entirely beside the point.

People writing, people reporting, editors, producers, in fact basically everybody in a given media company has some sort of investment, and you can bet, many of them will do things to get their perspective heard.

Whether they talk to people around water coolers, or coffee pots, write things into commentary or news reports, refuse to allow stories to be aired or printed, or so many other possible actions, is beside the point. You can know some folks will try to gain access to, and have input in what’s said.

It’s important to realize a significant fact. These people aren’t doing what they’re doing to not get you to think differently, or push some other agenda, but for precisely that purpose, by and large.

This applies every bit as much to those entities on the right as to the ones on the left.

I listen to a select few people on a regular basis. I won’t get into names, in fact the only thing I’ll say at this point is, there are roughly three or four from whom I watch or read content pretty normally.

To be sure, there are still others I heed on a less common basis, but the number I attend in relatively constant ways is much smaller.

One such individual has begun to step away from the things I find meaningful. He’s decided certain things are true, and others aren’t and on some of them, I disagree. I could tell you who it was, and go into detail on some of my disagreements with him, but I have no desire to get into that with anyone outside of that person. Chances are, that conversation won’t happen anytime soon, and even if it did, I might find myself being the one convinced to change my tune as likely as the converse being the case.

The point though is, I would definitely not try to imply that everybody who claimed to espouse right leaning views in the media has my undivided agreement to their statements or beliefs.

Truth is, many who claim to be on the right side of the aisle, often express sentiments I find to be more consistent with centrist or even leftist ideologies.

I still remember being embarrassed by a workmate, who made it clear I was holding on to some leftist beliefs that on review, I had to acknowledge I couldn’t support when I really looked at what it meant to do so.

That some who claim to be on the conservative side of things, have either long standing or even newly minted less-than-rightist outlooks among the items on their “I believe” lists, not only shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s entirely within their rights so to do.

That doesn’t mean I can or will agree with the viewpoints presented.

When it comes to those vantage points I talked about as “newly minted.” It should be well understood that people change. That may seem like an oversimplification, but it’s really not. Folks look at what they believe, in the light of things more recently learned or experienced, and sometimes decide it’s time to shift their position where given (even potentially long held) ideas or even ideals are concerned.

When you’re known for being in a particular place, it can be pretty hard—at least for many—to come out and say, “Yeah, you know, I was wrong when I said this.”

Harder still, sometimes, individuals may not even realize the change in themselves until it’s made crystal clear it has occurred.

Whatever the case, it’s totally possible for someone to shift vistas from one where things can be seen from a right or left leaning place to a position that’s virtually directly opposite what they formerly claimed to be reasonable.

I think I’ve already said this, but I want to reiterate it. I know pretty much nobody with whom I totally agree. Frankly, I hope fervently, that’s true for you as well. It’s a sign of cult-like behavior, to fall totally under the spell of some person you come to know. In the best case, I have to question whether someone saying that’s true for them is thinking for themselves, or being served “pre-chewed food” as it were.

I should make it clear as well, that where I probably disagree with them more than I hold with them, it’s not impossible for me to find myself in accord with the ideas of media persons on the left. If it’s true for left-leaning folks, you can be sure it’s also the case where people already closer to where I tend to live are concerned.

Part of finding this out, is taking the time to look at what people are saying who operate in different spheres, and thinking for yourself. If you decide what they’re saying is suspect, at least don’t endorse it wholeheartedly. If they claim to state facts, do your due diligence to ensure what they’re saying is true and correct. These are things you should do regardless where on the ideological spectrum someone claims to be, or actually is.

In the end, nobody else is responsible for what you choose to allow to stand or fall. People can help you to reach conclusions about all of that, but if you’ve no idea who they are, you may find you’ve been sucked into beliefs that are maybe not so reasonable and correct as they might have you believe.

As hard as it can be to do it, confirming as best you can, what’s actually going on—whether that be finding out things like, how folks’ ideas have played out in practice, or learning what actually occurred in a given circumstance or situation, or whatever—is always called for behavior.

So if you support right wing media types without working to confirm what they’re saying, you’re really no better off, than somebody who does the same for folks in some other part of the spectrum of ideals. It’s on you to confirm veracity, regardless of what they’re saying, to the best of your ability.

Thanks for reading, and may your time be good.