Imagine you just finished dinner and are about to unwind for the night with your family. Somebody suggests watching the news. What channel will be put on? If your family is like mine, people have different opinions. Always. And it’s always between two options. So, instead of arguing, we turn on SNL’s “The Best of Chris Farley” special. At least that was our routine until my father discovered NewsNation.
My father is a man who welcomes differences and encourages discussion. He taught my brothers and me to be open to new ideas, and at the very least to stay consistent, something we do not see in most American politicians. Like I said earlier, my house is a house divided, and until my family discovered NewsNation, the only time politics were brought up was at Thanksgiving, a day where anything goes. However, now we can agree on at least one thing — a NewsNation correspondent like Chris Cuomo, Leland Vittert or Elizabeth Vargas should be the Notre Dame commencement speaker when I graduate in May because of their ability to navigate difficult topics and not give in to bias, values that Notre Dame hopes to teach its students.
News will always be met with bias. Opinions will be shared. What is lacking in major news outlets today? Their ability to engage with both sides of a topic. Instead of a devil’s advocate, the other side is completely ignored, minimized or worse: distorted so the other side is the “bad guys.”
NewsNation is a news channel focused on delivering unbiased, fact-based news to all Americans. While the channel is still growing, there is an audience listening. As of June 2024, NewsNation is a 24/7 cable news network. Now, like many of you, I was not sold on news that self-identified as “unbiased,” but after watching for months, I can say NewsNation is true to its word. The channel delivers truthful and quality programming each night. NewsNation is not unique in its hourly programming: Introduce a news story and discuss. However, what is unique is who is given a voice on NewsNation. Viewers hear the majority of the news from guest speakers, not the correspondents. Experts from both sides of the spectrum come to the table and attempt to find middle ground for the biggest problems facing America and the world today. Most of the time, experts do not find that middle ground, but I feel good knowing I heard more than just one side of the story.
Chris Cuomo, a former CNN correspondent, joined the NewsNation team in 2022 and struck common ground between an unlikely duo: Stephen A. Smith and Bill O’Reilly. Cuomo starts each night saying, “Welcome to NewsNation, where the right and left come to be reasonable.” Something my dad says along with him.
So, why am I sharing this with you? Don’t worry, I will get off my soap box soon, but what I really want to stress is that most Americans are in the middle when it comes to politics. I understand it is hard to believe, especially when all we hear is hate. Outlets like NewsNation are gaining traction because Americans are tired of the extremes and want to “come together to be reasonable.” At the very least, NewsNation shows viewers how to have conversations with people who have different opinions.
I saw this firsthand when BridgeND hosted its annual ConvergeND event last Wednesday, where College Republicans and Democrats met for the first time since 2022. As a member of BridgeND, I had hoped our club’s values of discussion and respectful dialogue would be upheld. Did each side stay true to their convictions? Yes. Did either side interrupt the other? No.
If you take anything away from this, it is that the art of civil discourse is not over. While we might feel polarized as a country, most people can see eye to eye. Most people want to have conversations. And most people should check out NewsNation!
Isabel Rettino is a senior from Winnetka, Illinois, formerly from Farley Hall, now living off-campus. She is a sociology major minoring in digital marketing and social media manager for BridgeND. You may contact Isabel at irettino@nd.edu
