The body gathers information through the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. This information is limited by the sensitivity of the nerves which convey each individual sense. Eyes can perceive certain wavelengths of light. Ears can hear a limited number of frequencies. Each individual also limits this input by favoring one sense over the rest. All of this input is pared down even further as the brain tries to form a model of the external environment. Everyone has their own personal map which they use to explain how the world operates.

Since we are all dependent on these models to help us shape our reality, we are also susceptible to any subtle change which might occur to this structure. There are three ways in which this model can be altered. The first is generalization. One common way to generalize is to label or mislabel events or people. This is done by using language which is highly colored or emotionally charged. The second way is to use a process called deletion where attention is paid to certain details and all others are excluded. Common forms of deletion are: disqualifying the positive and all or nothing thinking. The last limiter is distortion of what actually took place by magnifying or minimizing the effects.

The "news" media uses these techniques to limit the richness of our model. Because few can experience these events directly, we are at the mercy of the news providers to report these happenings accurately. But this is rarely the case. All information providers have an agenda, whether it is stated outright or found by reading between the lines. News reporting is a business. It isn't a free service provided to the public, as we are all lead to believe.

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