> Just how exactly are you supposed to have a working critical thinking mind when you don't have any data in your brain to lay the foundation for it
Should the news be this foundation though? I think you'd be better off reading a few non-fiction books or magazines every year, perhaps informed on your choices by top headlines. Reading the news for detailed analysis on highly partisan topics is likely to make you less informed, not more.
You should read non-fiction books and magazines, they still won't cover completely what you could've gleaned from also reading, I don't know, Reuters, just to pick one nobody really seems to ever criticize.
The example I picked about imigration numbers is the tree hiding the forest
Should the news be this foundation though? I think you'd be better off reading a few non-fiction books or magazines every year, perhaps informed on your choices by top headlines. Reading the news for detailed analysis on highly partisan topics is likely to make you less informed, not more.