Lately I’ve been thinking about just how differently Americans experience the news. Not interpret it differently. Not disagree about what it means. I mean experience entirely different versions of reality depending on where they get their information. This isn’t just about political opinions anymore. It’s about the fact that two people can live in the same town, work the same job, and still walk away from the same week of national events with completely different ideas about

Instead of engaging with the specifics, the conversation pivots to “both sides.” And the more I hear it, the more I’ve come to see that this phrase isn’t always analysis. More often, it’s an exit ramp. A way to disengage.