In the 90’s, I was a senior in high school when my Honors English teacher gave the class an assignment that felt out of the usual literary wheelhouse: “Watch four TV shows and record what commercials run during the breaks.” The results were eye-opening for us 17-year-olds. For cops shows, advertisements focused on trucks and tools. For soap operas, it was makeup and baby products. And your typical network news – financial services, AARP. You can imagine the rest.
The point, obviously, was to show us that entertainment media know who we are and serve up products and content accordingly.
Over time, that specialized targeting spread to all areas of media we consume, especially news. Thirty years ago, the reporter credo was to be objective and report only the facts. As the news industry has been forced to consolidate this century, many Americans now get their news with a heavy dose of opinion. And that includes not only how an issue is reported but whether it’s reported at all.
Despite knowing this, a lot of us still choose to get our news from a single source. To those, I say: you’re missing out on a LOT. Feel free to disagree with that opinion, but you won’t convince this government and communications veteran otherwise.
If your sole source is Fox News, you’re missing opportunities to see and grasp the other side’s positions and talking points. If MSNBC is your exclusive jam, you’re far less likely to understand (simply understand – not agree with) the positions your conservative friends support.
I’ll confess my opinion comes with an assumption: that we WANT to understand what’s happening in our world and be better informed. But the truth is, some of us just enjoy getting riled up and having our opinions laid out for us. Fair enough. Maybe that’s more fun and easier than reading and absorbing a complex policy story. But for those of us in government and public affairs who don’t watch both sides, it’s like looking at only part of the chessboard.
In 2026, let’s broaden our news intake sources. Change the channel every now and then. It’s fascinating to see what other outlets are covering, even if you don’t agree with their take.
And if you need some stocking stuffer suggestions, how about a Wall Street Journal subscription? Or The Economist? Whatever high-quality news sources we add to our daily line-up, we’ll have a better grasp of public policy and what’s happening in our state, our nation and the world.
