Subject: Re: El Salvador Controls Their Gang Problem
"I suggest getting a variety, since every outlet will have some bias as to what they choose to cover or not cover. None can cover everything, so what they choose to cover is already a bias. NYT, NPR, Guardian, BBC, surprisingly you can get decent coverage from al Jazeera. I don't do cable news, so can't recommend any of them (and would recommend against them). VICE News can be good. There are probably some others if I thought hard about it. But those sources will call BS on a Dem or a Rep when they are spewing BS. Which is their job. I want to know the dirt, no matter whose dirt it is. I also like some international sources as they have different perspectives on American news, and are generally not carrying the banner of either US party."

What I think is more important than the sources of information a person uses is how they consume the information from those sources.

Whenever I read/watch/hear a story from a news source my mind automatically questions the information I am being given. I try and figure out how the source would be biased and take that into account. I try and understand why they are framing the information in the way they are framing it. I consider if there is information they are not telling me that might have an impact on my thinking if I knew about it (that is where diverse multiple sources are important). Short answer, the consumer should be critical of the information they consume and the news sources they consume it from. It is called critical thinking for a reason.

You probably do this in general as well without even really thinking about it.

Unfortunately there is a large segment of the population that does not do this. They either lack the knowledge, curiosity, or desire to think critically about the information they consume. Those types of people are more likely to fall prey to confirmation bias and use those sources of information.

Now to be fair, everyone falls prey to confirmation bias on occasion. It is human nature to want to have our views confirmed. The ability to recognize it and move beyond it is what makes the difference. Some people find a greater need for confirmation bias than they do for factual information.