Is it silly that I watch two News Stations?

Are opinions really necessary when reporting news? Am I incapable of reaching my own opinion through hearing both sides of the story? I've been reading and hearing a lot about the concept of "Truth and Objectivity" in regards to journalism and I just can't help but feel as though I want to be presented with merely the facts. It seems as though many of the arguments behind opinion bases reporting is that if a reporter is completely neutral, the audience may get confused with the information they are presented and be unsure of what "side" to take on an issue. I could be wrong in believing that it is ok if someone isn't sure of which side to take after hearing all of the facts, it's up to them to decide or debate about. It's not the media's job to promote one side over the other...

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I found this sort of funny, when looking for an article to "dissect," I went to both CNN and to Fox News... Notice the difference in advertising already? Before I even start reading I'm already presented with blatant forms of each's opinion. We've got angry Obama on the right, on progressive Obama on the left with a convenient little "vote for Obama" informational link. Objectivity has been lost here.

I'm sort of torn at times to try to find the real facts behind an issue, and I find myself hoping between sources like Fox News, to CNN, to even Comedy Central to find some sort of happy medium in reporting. Growing up in a heavily Republican family, and attending College in Vermont has certainly given me it's fare share of opinions all over the board. Although I relish in this and believe that true educated people need to know each side of an argument, understand it, and then can make their decision on their own. I feel the most comfortable when I hear the whole story and cut through the emotions tied to whoever is reporting it. There are many cases where I don't really agree with some one's opinion, but I still want to hear it... I understand that at times it's impossible not to have an opinion when presenting an argument, but I completely disagree with the statement that if an opinion is not given, then the audience will merely be confused. Do we really need to be herded like sheep to one opinion or another? If I'm a Democrat I must watch CNN and agree with their reporting, or if I'm a Republican I agree with Fox. It's silly and limiting... Like we discussed in class, I can recognize the importants of opinions in reporting, only if the audience is recognizing that it is in fact an opinion they are being preview to.

This translates well into gaming world as well. Ever heard of Grand Theft Auto? Sure this is an extremely negative game that promotes some of the most negative aspects of the impact between culture and gaming. Yet at it's most basic concept... it's not half bad. The sole idea behind it is to have a large city that you can do anything in, yet with the name alone it encourages the player to commit immoral acts. What if the game was neutral? What if you could do both good and bad things, what sort of beast would it be then?

For far too long many of us has taken the back seat and absorbed what we've been meant to absorb. Critical thinking and analysis has lost it's place in many aspects of popular culture, and we've allowed ourselves to be fed information. It's now assumed that the general public can't come up with it's own opinions and so they are provided for us. We live in a world where things are never strictly (hope you don't mind the analogy) black and white, there are always shades of grey. I disagree with un-objective reporting and believe that any educated person is going to want the whole story and doesn't really care about where the reporter stands.