In today’s political climate, it seems increasingly that two people can have entirely different interpretations of one objective reality.

We can see this clearly in how people react to any kind of action taken by leaders of the two dominant political parties – all the way from City Hall to the White House. The level of polarization in our country is undeniable, and it undermines honest and productive political discourse in our populace.

This is only compounded by the erroneous belief that there are no longer unbiased news media reliably covering government and politics. Of course, much of this perception comes from the existence of hyper-partisan news channels on social media, TV and radio and in print.

There are plenty of large and small news organizations still producing high-quality, in-depth and responsible journalism every day – reporting and editing that reflects many different perspectives and shows obvious care taken to present a complete picture of any given issue.

With that said, it is still true that any good news diet, like any good financial portfolio, should be diversified, consisting of different outlets to ensure that you’re getting the whole story from as many angles as possible.

With all of this in mind, we’re taking this week’s editorial opportunity to spotlight an oft-forgotten but incredibly dedicated media outlet that for nearly half a century has been providing the people of America with inarguably unbiased and in-depth coverage in a more extensive way than any other outlet.

That would be the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, or C-SPAN, as you probably know it better by.

Created in 1979, this nonprofit media venture started as a way to bring everyday Americans into the halls of Congress to be an active part of their own governing, and to be better informed about the most important issues being debated by the people we elect to represent our interests.

C-SPAN offers something that no other media outlet offers — a round-the-clock watch on government activity and its players without the need to spin its coverage for a particular base or drive enthusiasm through harmful tactics to sell ad space. In a time of extreme polarization, C-SPAN offers an unfiltered presentation of objective reality.

Legislators attend their committee meetings and vote on bills, and C-SPAN broadcasts what they say and do, and often provides them with the opportunity to explain why they are doing what they are doing.

Viewership data speaks to the value of this public service: C-SPAN viewers are not inordinately liberal (30%) or conservative (30%) or moderate (36%). They aren’t primarily older (the 55+ demographic is the smallest percentage of viewers). They aren’t from one region of the country and not another, and they do not consume the content through one device or another. It’s a pretty even spread down the line on the roughly 67 million adult Americans who consume C-SPAN within a six-month period, according to 2023 data.

At a time when public trust in government is so low, we implore more people to tune into C-SPAN to see how government is conducted. That way they can become better informed about the who, what, when, where and why of our true political reality regardless of who controls the chambers.