It’s time to become a well-informed citizen

On September 5, I heard the shocking news that conservative “Reagan Republican” Dick Cheney would vote for Kamala Harris. Since then, I have been thinking about the process he must have gone through to make that decision. He must have carefully considered the political landscape, the issues of this election, and his own values ​​and hopes for our country. There is no doubt that the journey this icon of conservatism has taken has been painful, honest, and at times heartbreaking.

There is a deeper truth here that applies to all of us. If we love our country, value our democracy, and care about America’s issues, then this year’s election requires of us what it did of Dick Cheney. This election requires of us more than passively consuming soundbites and memes from our social media and our only source of news. It’s time, as Thomas Jefferson said, to be part of a “well-informed citizenry.”

I used to teach and coach debate. The formula we used in my beginner debating class is relevant here as we take on the challenge of honestly seeking good information to form our opinions and vote. The first thing I would tell students is that there are objective facts we can find out. Every important issue has good arguments on both sides, so we don’t understand an issue until we can find valid reasons for and against it.

Next, we taught them that to understand an issue, we must choose our news sources carefully, recognizing media bias when gathering “pro” and “con” arguments. We showed them the beauty of a media bias chart like the one found on Allsides.com, which allows readers to use articles to determine whether a news outlet is more left, center, or right on the political spectrum. Then we dove right into a current political issue, instructing them to look for articles from sources fairly close to the center, choose a side, and select a strong argument with evidence. The final instruction? You have ten minutes, then we’ll discuss.

Inevitably, students panicked, but after ten minutes, we held a brief whole-class “debate” where students lined up on the “yes” and “no” sides of the classroom, making their strongest arguments and responding to counterarguments. This process trained students to quickly gain a basic understanding of the issue so they could choose and defend a position. If I were teaching the class today, our question might be, “Does Kamala Harris support or disapprove of fracking overall?” Search engines would display many articles from across the spectrum, but students would learn that skimming articles from reputable sources would lead to a better understanding that they could bring to the discussion.

I’ve heard people say, “I don’t have time to study issues in depth!” I tell them that while researching a topic takes time, with reliable research tools it doesn’t take much time. Good sites like ProCon.org and pewresearch.org have combed through sources for us and offered short articles comparing the best arguments from both sides of an issue, with full citations. Allsides.com regularly updates its media charts as content is reviewed and rated.

What I learned from teaching and coaching debate still influences how I consume news today. When I Google a question, media bias charts still help me figure out where news sources fall on the spectrum. I search multiple sources from the left, the center, and the right, and sometimes I’ll watch a source from the far left or the far right for a few minutes just to know what the fringe groups are up to.

The last week has been momentous. Dick Cheney is revered by some and despised by others, but right now I’m just grateful for him. He reminded me that the task of being part of a “well-informed citizenry” is the hard work our Founding Fathers prophesied we would do. This election requires more of us: to open our minds, use our wits, recognize the inevitable bias in “news” and social media memes, and learn from novice debate students and the iconic Dick Cheney. We still have time to dig deeper and more objectively. We can do this. It feels like we have to.

Sharon Ellsworth-Nielson, a retired English teacher and debate coach, is a member of Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG).