Be a critical consumer of the news

When consuming the news it is important to isolate words that are written to trigger emotions and sensationalize an incident. You see, at the end of the day delivering the news is a business.  Each news organization has a target audience, be it geographical , political, or ideological. It must therefore find a way to continue to cater to them, to get them to bite. So, it is critical to realize what sort of reader are you so that you don’t just buy into one narrative.  Instead, develop your acumen to become a critical consumer of news. Don’t just read one narrative, learn to extract facts from different perspectives, from a myriad of sources, until you can formulate your own understanding.  Never be satisfied, always be curious. Ask yourself am I being triggered to respond in a certain way? Am I being intellectually engaged? Do I have a firm grasp of the narratives and the motives behind?  Until you do that, you will remain a hostage in a conversation hijacked by one or two views. That would be a shame because that is a road to extremism. When you as a consumer becomes consumed. When we are no longer a pluralistic society.  So make it a habit to read the news from as many sources as possible, in different languages, from different sources, local and global. Broaden your scope, expand your perspective so that you will not be so easily swayed. Be ever so hungry for facts.  That’s the way we can move pass where we are now - a nation constantly reacting.