Our Viewpoint

A good rule of thumb in journalism is having three sources in an article. When our reporters go out to do interviews and get details for an article, I encourage them to talk to other people involved in the subject.

We've all heard the saying there are two sides to every story. But how often do we actually open our ears, hearts and minds to the "other side?"

Take national news networks, for example. If someone says they watch Fox News, and if another says they watch CNN, it's probably pretty easy to determine how those two people feel about certain issues.

There are other situations where seeing both sides isn't that easy. Think about when someone gets divorced. Do you choose which person you like better when someone gets divorced? What if you don't ever get to hear that other person's side.

As journalists, we work to tell all sides of the story and keep our opinions out of it. Except for here, on the Opinion page. But in everyday life we should all try our best to hear both sides of the story. My mom always says you never know what someone else has been through. Try to put yourself in their position and see where they are coming from. When topics are controversial or heated, it's hard to imagine.

Even when you see someone who is having a bad day or not doing something the way you would, try to think about what it would be like to swap positions.

Information is knowledge. —Annie Wooden