It has always been important for people to follow the news. In our world today, there is certainly no shortage of newsworthy events to read about. And with new technology at our disposal, it has become increasingly easier to keep up with the news.

Many people have utilized these resources to become better-informed citizens, and while this is certainly a positive result, there is still an issue that lingers. While many follow the news, they only receive this news from sources that lean toward their personal opinions and beliefs. This leaves the reader lacking the full story.

Whether or not we do this intentionally, we have all fallen victim to doing this at some point. I will admit that I sometimes find myself reading things that only confirm what I already believe, which then strengthens my bias and beliefs on certain subjects. However, this is a habit that we all must break, because rather than informing us better, it makes us blindly loyal puppets of the side we support.

Additionally, this occurs frequently during controversial events that lead to polarizing debates, with one example being the tragic school shooting in Parkland, FL. In the aftermath, those on each side created their own stories based on what happened, and shared what they felt needed to be done in response to this atrocity.

Consumers will often read the news from the side that they lean toward, leading us again to a lack of well-rounded information.

It is crucial that we stay up to date on what is going on in our world, and it is admirable to set out to be better-informed. But as consumers of the news, if we aim to be well-informed, we must commit ourselves to learning the whole story, not just the story that agrees with our beliefs and biases.