Seeing the News through a Lens
Good morning fam!
I realized recently how little news I actually take in. Minnesota. Venezuela. Iran. Big stories, and I knew just enough to know I didn't know much.
So I asked AI for help catching up and, more importantly, for guidance on how to think about news without getting pulled into outrage or sides. What came back really stuck with me.
It made a lot of sense.
Most news today isn't just reporting facts.
It's facts plus a lens.
A lens is simply the point of view a story is told through. Every outlet has one. Some lean left. Some lean right. Some focus on power. Others focus on victims, institutions, or individuals.
The problem isn't that lenses exist.
The problem is when we forget we're looking through one.
Where things go sideways is when people replace lenses with loyalties.
Loyalty says, "My side must be right."
A lens says, "This is how I'm seeing it ... what might I be missing?"
That distinction alone changes everything.
Here's a simple framework I've found helpful:
Separate facts from framing
What actually happened? Dates, places, actions, outcomes.
Name the lens
Is this written from a law-enforcement view, a protester view, a government view, or a humanitarian one?
Ask two honest questions
- What does this lens help me see clearly?
- What might it exaggerate or leave out?
Don't outsource your judgment
No outlet deserves full trust or full dismissal. Wisdom comes from humility and comparison, not picking a team.
A practical habit: when a headline grabs me, I'll check one straight-fact source for confirmation, then decide if it's worth going deeper. Most of the time, it isn't.
For me, this matters because I don't want to live angry, cynical, or reactive. Faith, family, meaningful work, and rest deserve more of my attention than the outrage cycle.
Being informed doesn't mean being immersed.
Being thoughtful doesn't mean being partisan.
And disagreeing doesn't require hating.
I really love the lens framework. I wish more people practiced it instead of assuming bad motives. But I'm not losing sleep over it.
God is sovereign.
Love you all. Now I'm going to skim a little world news... then get back to work.