I gather from Mary Jane Newell’s letter (May 14) that she is offended by people practicing freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and other constitutional rights.

While she repeatedly excoriates the “liberal media,” she may not realize that there are those who find Fox to be neither “news” nor “fair and balanced,” but simply as a right-wing media outlet viewed by many to validate their own opinions and/or prejudices.

Then there are those that reach well beyond Fox for their validation, all the way to Breitbart, wild weekend tweets, Kellyanne’s “alternative facts” and microwaves.

We all have prejudices, but I’d like to think that the majority of people confront them by opening their minds to truth, facts, and understanding, rather than wallowing in a frozen mindset. It is only by opening our minds and hearts that true patriotism will supplant such petty partisanship.

Barbara Payne, Norway