Fín

          I have always been aware of the fact that different news sources and varieties of presentation forms reflect different biases and views, but in the past I have just used that to help me navigate towards publications and websites with specific views in mind. I stuck to the news sources I tended to agree with, instead of using multiple sources to analyze the truth and identify the most salient points. I made The Wall Street Journal my homepage, and I think I will keep it that way because now whenever I open up my internet I try to find an article I hadn’t read or am inspired to find another take on a WSJ article through The New York Times, The Oregonian, MSN, CNN, NBC, FOX, etc. This course has challenged me to read articles with stronger opinions one way or another than the semi-neutral ones I am used to, and I have enjoyed that because instead of making me feel like I was constantly pitted against the way an author was writing, I have been able to use alternative perspectives to become more informed. This ultimately makes me more confident in my own opinions, since I feel more educated on all sides of a topic before confirming how I feel about it. I needed a little push to stay updated and I think this class has given me just that. I look forward to constantly feeling the importance of being in the loop with current events!