Originally published Nov. 29, 2016 in The Orlando Sentinel.

The “lamestream” media, the “liberal media” and other bashing is code for “don’t believe a thing they say – believe what I say.” It’s a brainwashing tool. That’s not to say some – perhaps most – publications don’t lean left or right. But if media bashing keeps people from reaching logical conclusions, it destroys free thought.

The big question: What is “the media”?

Twenty years ago, it was a local newspaper and three television channels. Each had to satisfy an audience across the political spectrum, so survival required them to hit something close to the middle. If 20 Republicans complained that a story leaned left and 20 Democrats said it leaned right, the newspaper probably hit something close to the center.

Many people now believe “the media” is everything they read, view or ignore, providing Uncle Ernie didn’t write it. If it’s posted on ImadeItUp.com, aired on one of 500 cable channels or simply a blog written by Crazy Joseph from a cave somewhere in south Montana, it’s part of “the media.” Fake news websites look and read like legitimate news, and many people still confuse a blog (i.e., this is my opinion) from an actual news story (i.e., this actually happened).

And then there’s the technical issue: If there is indeed a left-wing media conspiracy, how could they pull that off? A Kennedy assassination conspiracy would require perhaps three people to keep a secret, and one of them was murdered shortly thereafter – so realistically it could be a conspiracy.

But a left-wing media conspiracy? That would force thousands upon thousands of journalists to keep a secret, and no one spills secrets like a journalist. They went to college to learn how to spill secrets. And if there’s an underground club where pinko CNN journalists rub elbows with Orlando Sentinel reporters, it has yet to be reported by Breitbart News.

Any conspiracy that involves more than 10 people is doomed to fail. Someone will talk; someone will write a book; someone will tell their eldest son on their deathbed.

The sad truth: It’s not the media – it’s you.

In today’s digital age, people have many, many options, and they select the news sources that speak to them. Those on the right who loved the lies, manipulation and scandal surrounding Hillary Clinton’s private email server ignored stories by “the lamestream media” that tempered the accusations. They watched Fox News, where the anchors were aghast – aghast, I say – at each new email revelation.

But left-wingers are equally guilty: Many Democrats thought Clinton’s email issue was a red herring – a mistake blown up to warp the minds of less-educated Americans – and they complained about the right-wing propaganda. However, they never watched Fox News to gauge the extent of the problem or see if, perhaps, facts existed heretofore unknown to them. They stuck to NPR or MSNBC for their left-leaning share of the “real” news.

We, the viewers, don’t want unbiased coverage anymore. We want backup for our views, and with thousands of true, semi-true and bald-face-lie sources to choose from, we don’t have trouble finding it.

To cure polarization, people must read news from a variety of sources and constantly think: Is this writing biased? How does Fox News’ angle differ from MSNBC’s? Is it possible this is something I should consider? Should I Google it?

If we want to criticize the media, we should start by holding up a mirror.