"If you're going to be a newspaperman, you are either going to be honest or consistent. If you are really doing your job as an observer... it's more important to say what you see than to worry about inconsistency. If you are worried about that, then you stop looking. And if you stop looking, you are not a real reporter anymore. I have no inhibitions about changing my mind."
While I think the quote should be read daily by anyone in charge of informing the public (or hourly at Faux News), I think it can also be applied more widely. I am sure by now most people are aware of the psychological term 'cognitive dissonance', where people filter the information they receive to make it fit their current worldview, instead of letting their perspective evolve in light of new information.
It is a grave error to believe that anyone ever has all the facts or a monopoly on the ability to analyze information. I find that the most uninteresting people to talk with are the ones that have lost all curiosity and stick to ossified opinions that are out of touch with reality. I understand that we all have different backgrounds and are exposed to vastly different sources of information, both in terms of quantity and quality. This gives rise to the diversity of perspectives and opinions, many of which I cannot fathom. While I don't think we have to give credence to all opinions and perspectives, we must be aware that at some level a given person has built a world view that is at least somewhat internally reinforcing. Expecting people to change their mind over a core belief or an opinion that is central to that belief takes time and cognitive effort.
And, as one of my favorite professors said, "Everyone has the right to be a hypocrite."
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