You might expect that people’s views would soften and that divisions between groups would get smaller. That is not what usually happens. On the contrary, people’s original beliefs tend to harden and the original divisions typically get bigger. Balanced presentations can fuel unbalanced views.

What explains this? The answer is called “biased assimilation,” which means that people assimilate new information in a selective fashion. When people get information that supports what they initially thought, they give it considerable weight. When they get information that undermines their initial beliefs, they tend to dismiss it.

All journalism is yellow. Always has been... Always will be.

This notion of journalism being impartial or putting it on a moral pedestal or champions of righteousness only appeared in the 1930s after Hearst gained an effective monopoly on the papers.

We need to stop treating jornos as anything other than the depraved hacks they are...

At this point, what's the difference between journalism and well-researched blogging?

the well-researched part.. lol

“Biased assimilation,” which means that people assimilate new information in a selective fashion. When people get information that supports what they initially thought, they give it considerable weight. When they get information that undermines their initial beliefs, they tend to dismiss it.

The net-net is that people don't change.

They filter incoming information for things that affirm their biases.

Once I've set my iPod playlists up, why would I listen to anything else?

This is a big issue in two things I have dealt with before, intelligence and counter-insurgency. It applies to so many facets of our lives. Parents, teachers, preachers. Change is slow and generational.

As an adult, who do you trust enough to change your mind about a deeply-held belief?

"It follows that turncoats, real or apparent, can be immensely persuasive. If civil rights leaders oppose affirmative action, or if well-known climate change skeptics say that they were wrong, people are more likely to change their views.

Here, then, is a lesson for all those who provide information. What matters most may be not what is said, but who, exactly, is saying it."

Like Fox news pointing out Ryan's lies or Romeny's lack of detailed plan?