As a blog which attempts to identify the difference between news and opinion \u2014 which are not the same \u2014 allow us to present last week\u2019s news from three different perspectives: the left, the right, and somewhere in between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the left:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLamar Jackson and the NFL\u2019s Quarterback Double Standard\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOpioid-maker Purdue Pharma Is Allowed Bonus Payout in Bankruptcy Case\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRudy Giuliani Melts Down On Live TV In Bizarre Chris Cuomo Interview\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Urgent Concern\u2019 About the President\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNew Allegations Against Brett Kavanaugh Mean Congress Must Finish What the FBI Started\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the right:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA California Court Dealt a Blow to Religious Liberty. It\u2019s Time for SCOTUS to Act.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeghan McCain Leaves ‘View’ Stage after Clashing with Ana Navarro over Whistleblower Reports\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBetsy DeVos Busts Colleges Misusing Federal Dollars for Anti-Semitic Social Justice Curriculum\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIlhan Omar Deletes 2013 Tweet About Her Father\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAwkward: Colbert Corners Warren on Middle Tax Class Increases, Calls Her Out When She Dodges\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now from somewhere in between:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGM Workers On Strike\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAttacks on Saudi Arabian Oil Sites\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cColt to End Production of AR-15 Rifles for Personal Use\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThree Questions: Antonio Brown, the Latest NFL Morality Test\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor Clues about 2020 Campaign, Look Back to 2004\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Note: the above headlines are taken from multiple sites, including CNN, FOX News, and NBC \u2014 albeit none of the three are quoted in the \u201csomewhere in between.\u201d]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n No doubt precisely because of the above glaring disparity, many of us have stopped tuning into the news. The bottom line is that much of what is advertised as news is not. It\u2019s opinion. Opinion and news are not the same. And opinion is not reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the potential motive for the intentional slant? I think it may be misidentified; it may be deeper than a partisan agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allow me to quote Senator and bestselling author Ben Sasse in Them: Why We Hate Each Other \u2014 and How to Heal<\/em> (an excellent read, by the way). While openly sharing that he is a Christian, conservative man, Sasse is also not a fan of division and partisanship. [Noting all emphasis is mine] Sasse writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSean Hannity is good at what he does. So good, in fact, that his daily cable news show is number one nationally, and his daily talk radio show is number two. TV and radio are very different media, but Hannity has mastered both. There\u2019s a reason he reportedly earns a ballpark $40 million annually. You might not like what he\u2019s doing, but it\u2019s definitely on purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what\u2019s he doing?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He explained the core objective of his two different programs to the New York Times.<\/em> It\u2019s not to promote a particular conservative agenda, or to encourage American patriotism, or even to offer coherent arguments against liberalism. His core cause is to rage\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most cable news and talk radio shows today \u2014 on both the right and the left<\/em><\/strong> \u2014 operate this way. The leading programs are orchestrated by executives and personalities who understand well that there\u2019s real money to be made in helping people keep their fears and hatreds aligned.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So understand what the above headlines are doing. Understand what Sean Hannity, Don Lemon, and Rachel Maddow are doing. Understand what the Drudge Report, Palmer Report, <\/em>and other biased reports are doing. Their goal is to make you rage<\/em> \u2014 to make you mad and keep your fears and hatreds aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So do you think you know the news?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of the above headlines is linked from www.allsides.com<\/a>. They clearly identify the left, right, and in between. I like www.realclearpolitics.com<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR As a blog which attempts to identify the difference between news and opinion \u2014 which are not the same \u2014 allow us to present last week\u2019s news from three different perspectives: the left, the right, and somewhere in between the two. From the left: \u201cLamar Jackson and the NFL\u2019s Quarterback Double Standard\u201d \u201cOpioid-maker Purdue … <\/p>\n
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