I read the editorial on Secretary of State Jena Griswold on April 24, and was disappointed in your leaning into the misguided and excessive even-handedness tendency.

It’s a media pitfall: the attempt to balance the “two sides” of many social and political issues. A shadow side of postmodernism, wherein all perspectives are held in a pretense of equivalency, a confusing and dreary flatland.

When one side uses lies, unsupported assertions, wild conspiracies and elevates their reactive feelings to real injustice; while the other side uses facts, reason and the rule of law, there is no equivalency of truth or utility.

While everyone is equal (ironically, something the GOP is trying to destroy), not every perspective presents an equal amount of truth. We can respect a person’s view while understanding that it’s based on false or unsubstantiated assertions.

It’s like elevating astrology and pulling down astronomy and holding them to be equal. Anyone using critical thinking can quickly determine that one is actual verified science, while the other is magical thinking and fantasy. One is entertainment and the other science.

It is not Democrat vs. Republican in the Griswold situation. It’s lies and reactive tantrums vs. the Constitution, the rule of law and truth. A court found that it was an insurrection, repeating this is a truth. Feeling upset that your “side” got caught up in an insurrection is not equal to the court’s judgment

I hope the media can grow out of this pretense of equivalency, and dangerous “fair and balanced” flatland.

Steve Self

Durango