I watch what is presented by MSNBC and Fox, and I take their reporting with a grain of salt. I believe that they believe what they're reporting is factual, but they seem to have become content with rehashing stories that are centered around the attention-grabbers from both sides of the aisle. Day in and day out, these media outlets jam up the airwaves with out-of-context statements made by the big-name players in politics today.

They do this because the executives at these organizations care more about who has the best ratings amongst the common citizen than they care about truthfulness. The journalists seem to go along with it because they've been conditioned to accept that the copy being placed in front of them is factual. They no longer question the origin of this information. They only know that it's simple, and it fits neatly into the allotted time frame.

Due to the day-to-day issues and demands most people face, they aren't aware that they've become susceptible to the suggestions being broadcast. They just assume that they're receiving the unvarnished truth from a reliable source. Instead, most people are having their opinions manipulated by an industry that is centered around shock and awe reporting and deception.

For reporting that doesn't fall into the categories of left-leaning, right-leaning, or hardline, I've come to find that sources such as BBC News, NewsWeek, Reuters, MarketWatch, and The Hill are the way to go. I also trust the content provided by local news stations. Even though they may be affiliates of national media groups, the local stations retain integrity because their anchors and reporters relay current events without the embellishments that are echoed by their more famous, national network counterparts. When local reporters cover political issues, they approach those issues in a no-nonsense manner. Because of their refusal to be swayed by the platitudes of politicians from either side, they offer the viewer a clear and accurate picture of what is truly important.