When it comes to telling any story, one’s point of view can be a big obstacle in honest transmission. It can be very easy for an individual in power or position to paint the world, science, and history in the way he wants others to see it.  An extreme version of such a reality exists in places like Iran, Venezuela, and other societies where questioning is strictly discouraged.  The force feeding of discolored facts and removal of unwanted truths is serious, and too prevalent in the world.  However, a new kind of censorship has been emerging in countries that have labored for generations to be objective and better deliver “Freedom of Speech.”

Researchers of all kinds have to perform a precarious prance when it comes to communicating or interpreting their findings.  If any bias of any kind is discovered, the whole of their work could be deemed invalid, corrupted, and untrustworthy.  Public school and college text books have increasingly been rejected by conservatives, liberals, religious groups, and racial based communities even when these texts have been written for a supposed general audience.

So, what is one to do in the acquiring of knowledge?  First, one must accept that bias cannot be completely erased from any form of communication.  After all, pollution mixes with oxygen at alarming rates, but ceasing to breath will not make a human healthier!  The second question that arises is how does one keep from being inundated with hatred and erroneous claims?  Don’t ever depend on one source or one form of information.  Don’t just settle for being an academic seeing the world through lifeless paper, and don’t insist that your street smarts will give you all that you need to survive.

Thus, one question still remains, can stories, science, news, and more be transmitted objectively?  My answer is, possibly.  All human beings are equipped with minds and one must persist in questioning and using reason.  Still, experience, culture, and what we don’t know will tint both the windows and microscopes we use to view the world.  Don’t let your desire to be objective paralyze and sterilize your work, instead, introduce yourself and where you come from.  If you make it clear that you are not trying to hide an ulterior motive, readers will respect your optimistic and realistic approach.  At the same time, recognize prejudice, bias, and opinion when you see them and use reason as your protector in the jungles of inquiry.