When I was a college student some decades ago, I majored in English and minored in journalism. At that time the majority of American households received a newspaper. Radio and television news broadcasts were anchored by the likes of Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, David Brinkley: men who seemed to me to be unbiased, honest and noble, and beyond reproach. Even in my childhood I recognized the journalistic weight that Walter Cronkite brought to the television screen. These news men and women of my formative years were professionals, dedicated to objective reporting. These days, however, anyone with a computer or smart phone can set forth their own agenda, including me. And it makes me wonder: are we better served? Is a podcaster or blogger even in the same league with the journalists of my youth? How do the major network news reporters of CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC,or Fox News measure up to the journalists of decades past? And perhaps more importantly, does a plethora of opinions translate to more insight, making it easier to compare and contrast and get to the truth quicker? Or are we just calling it a broad spectrum of views when, in fact, it is nothing more than an infinite number of personal agendas? Is the noise of so many voices actually leaving us with no real absolute truth? Is there even such a thing as absolute truth, if the backdrop is a corporation aimed at getting ratings to boost their ad sales? There is no getting away from a corporate bottom line. This is our system, and it is a good one. But it is far from perfect. And what I'm seeing now, in some news outlets, is frightening to me. There is a news outlet for every political leaning. Instead of newsmen and women offering us unbiased, (or at least balanced) recounts of the day's events, we, as consumers, seem to want our own personal version of the truth. Give me that, we demand, if you want me to watch. Skew it toward the other guy, and I'll turn the channel and buy what they're selling. I have always tried to be open-minded. I try to listen and learn from other people's perspectives, keenly aware that I don't know what I don't know, and what I don't know amounts to just about everything. There is always something to learn; I may not have thought about something the way you think of about it. The year we just closed out has tried to teach us that important lesson. It has showed us (more of) our weaknesses, and it has pointed us to improvements that can be made, if we are willing. America is nothing if not an evolving movement forward, of people from all walks of life, and points of view, and creeds and religions and every other kind of word that embodies diversity. I believe we still harbor the desire to understand each other on a personal and meaningful level. I believe we still want to find the common ground. This is what makes us special. This is what makes us strong. This is what makes us America. God bless. And Happy New Year.