What We Actually Disagree About
 Rattlesnake Gulch |
Dear Restore the Balance Community, Fact vs. Confirmation Bias What if Americans do not actually disagree about facts as much as we are led to believe? Often we disagree because we are only looking at facts and opinions that we are willing to see. That's confirmation bias: the natural tendency to seek out and remember information that confirms what we already think, while dismissing what doesn't. And we tend to assume it's the other side doing the cherry-picking, never ourselves. It helps to know the difference between your social media feed and an actual news organization. As commentator Andrew Lewis put it, if you're not paying for something, "you're not the customer; you're the product being sold." Your feed wants your eyes on it long enough to see ads, and it earns more by showing you things you're already inclined to believe. News organizations operate under different incentives; they can be sued for defamation, libel, fraud, and deception- guardrails your feed doesn't have. A Quick Fact-Check Test Next time something confirms exactly what you already believed, ask:
Try This This Week Pick one story you feel strongly about. Read a version of it from a source you don't normally use. Ask what facts stayed the same, and where the framing changed. Often, the real disagreement is about emphasis, not facts. Nonpartisan Resources
Many Americans say it's genuinely hard to tell what's true anymore. Reading your local paper alongside a mix of other outlets remains one of the best ways to find both the facts and the balance. Tonight's program at CMU, "Who's Telling the Truth?", digs into exactly this. We hope to see you there. |
Thank You, Fall Gathering! A huge thank you to everyone who came out to Palisade last Wednesday evening. We're grateful to the candidates for speaking directly to voters and sticking around for one-on-one conversations. This kind of access helps our community make informed decisions heading into the ballot box. |
Last Call: Who's Telling the Truth? (Tonight!) If this week's newsletter has you thinking about confirmation bias and how to tell fact from framing, tonight's event takes that conversation further. As a proud supporting partner of this event, we want to make sure you don't miss it. Local reporters, editors, and researchers sit down for a moderated panel on media literacy, authenticity, and gatekeeping, followed by audience table conversations on what it actually takes for our community to get news it can trust. It's the same question we're wrestling with in this week's newsletter, just with the people doing the reporting in the room.
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Mail Ballot Litigation: An Update The legal fight over new USPS mail-ballot rules continues. A federal judge in Massachusetts, Indira Talwani, extended her block on the rules on September 4, preventing them from taking effect before the midterms while the underlying case proceeds. The Trump administration has since appealed to the Supreme Court for the third time, arguing the block itself is causing "confusion and chaos" now that some states have begun mailing ballots. The Supreme Court has previously allowed the broader plan to move forward procedurally without ruling on whether it's legal. Separately, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. ruled in June that a federal database originally built for immigration purposes cannot be used by states to purge voter rolls, after it was shown to have a high rate of false positives flagging U.S. citizens as noncitizens. AP's coverage. SCOTUSblog's coverage. Important Election Dates September 19: Deadline to send mail ballots to military and overseas voters October 2: Ballots mailed for the November 3 general election; 24-hour drop boxes open October 19: Voter Service and Polling Centers open October 26: Last day to register and still receive a mail ballot November 3: Election Day. Ballots due to the county clerk by 7 PM November 12: Last day to receive overseas/military ballots and cure signature issues Source: Mesa County Clerk's Office. |
Have Your Say: Mesa County Community Health Survey Mesa County Public Health is running the "Vibe Check," a community survey feeding directly into the county's next Community Health Needs Assessment. It's nonpartisan, available in English and Spanish, and genuinely wants to hear from as many voices as possible, which lines up well with what RTB is about. If you live in Mesa County, consider taking a few minutes to weigh in: bit.ly/mesa-vibe-check |
Have Your Say: Medicaid Commission Community Meeting, October 1 Learn how the One Big Beautiful Bill of 2025 (HR-1) is impacting the long-term sustainability of rural hospitals. Colorado's Medicaid program is running over budget this year, and decisions about how to respond are being made over the next few months. Representative Rick Taggart serves on the legislative Commission on Medicaid, which is writing recommendations for the Governor and legislature, due in December. Since the Commission typically meets at the Capitol during the workweek, ruling out most people who actually depend on the program, Rep. Taggart is holding a community meeting to hear directly from Coloradans who rely on Medicaid.
Nothing shared will be attributed to anyone by name.Can't make it? Take the survey instead. |
Member Recommendations Dorothy Espe recommends "Travel as a Political Act" by Rick Steves. (book) Related: Rick Steves' talk earlier this year, "The Traveler and American Democracy." Also recommended: "Think Again" by Adam Grant, a reminder that maybe we don't know what we think we do. (book) Gary Curtis recommends George Will's Washington Post tribute to Dolly Parton. |
Upcoming Events TODAY, 9/14 — Who's Telling the Truth? Media Literacy Panel
9/18 — Colorado River District Water Seminar, "The River Ahead"
9/18-19 — Club 20 Western Colorado Candidate Debates
9/19 — "Bad Faith" Documentary Screening
9/20 — How to Have Difficult Conversations
9/21 — Disagree Healthier
9/23 — League of Women Voters Virtual Candidate Forum
9/28 — Western Colorado Days of Action Meeting
9/30 — Voter Registration Assistance Session
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On the Radar: Local Government Meetings
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