Journalist visits BYU campus to speak about ethics in political media

On March 18, Brigham Young University's Sorensen Center hosted "Ethics in Political Media," a lecture from reporter Isaac Saul, at the Hinckley Center.

Saul is a reporter, expert on debate and dissent and the founder of Tangle an award-winning, nonpartisan media outlet. The event was held to help students learn more about the dysfunctional nature of the news industry, how to fix it, and how leaders in all sectors of the economy can help.

Jeffery Thompson, the current director of the Sorensen Center, opened the event by presenting the center's mission statement.

(The Sorensen Center) is about 3.5 years old now, which makes us still the newest center on campus. Our vision is to inspire and equip individuals to lead people as Jesus Christ did, using him as our example, Thompson said.

The Sorensen Center draws upon three core principles that its espoused throughout campus: expressing love, honoring agency and inviting accountability.

Taking together those three principles, create a balance that allows us to influence people positively and lead them to greater light, growth and development," Thompson said.

There is perhaps no more pressing issue in the area of moral and ethical leadership than how we message truth. And how sometimes errors and division get mixed in with those messages," Thompson said. "So leading in a divisive environment requires us to have an ear to many voices and discernment. to determine where the truth is and where the error is."

Mary Sorensen, a student at BYU, spoke before Saul. The Sorensen Center is named after her grandparents. Her family supported the effort to establish the center in 2022 when her grandmother, Verla Sorensen, helped BYU launch the initiative focused on ethics and leadership.

Sorensen also serves as a college ambassador for Tangle News, Saul's unbiased newsletter.

Sorensen explained why she promotes his work, referencing a passage about democracy and free speech.

Then only is freedom a reality, then only is free speech a reality, when citizens voice their opinions and examine them, she said, quoting the passage. If we are to preserve democracy, we must understand its principles. The principle that distinguishes it from other forms of government is that the opposition is not only tolerated as constitutional but carefully maintained, because it is indispensable.

Sorensen said she discovered Tangle in early 2025. The first piece she read was Isaac Sauls overview of Donald Trumps first month back in office.

Saul had been on paternity leave after his son was born on inauguration day and returned with a months worth of reflections on the start of Trumps second administration.

In the piece, Sorensen said, Saul organized his thoughts into three categories: the good, the bad and the unclear. He noted that his views were tentative and could change as the administrations actions unfolded.

I read this, and I was amazed, Sorensen said. Here was simple language, measured analysis, blunt honesty and sincere courtesy for his audience.

She later subscribed to Tangles daily newsletter. Each edition includes an estimated reading time and corrections placed at the top of the newsletter, rather than the end, to increase transparency with readers.

The newsletter summarizes perspectives from writers on the political right and the political left, often including direct quotes from both sides, before presenting Sauls own opinion clearly separated from the coverage.

I cant overstate how much Ive learned, Sorensen said. How many critical concepts Ive been exposed to, and how many times my perspective has shifted.

Saul then discussed his experience as a journalist and the motivations behind launching his newsletter, Tangle.

He asked the audience, Think about the last month of your life and raise your hand if you can think of a political position that youve changed your mind about.

After a few students raised their hands, Saul continued, We all understand intuitively that nobody is right about everything, yet (many) of you (havent) changed your mind about anything in the last month. And Ive been thinking a lot about why this is. This is a big part of my political project. My answer is that we have a broken information ecosystem.

Saul added, All of us in this room, myself included, are regularly being fed stories by our algorithms, social groups, that are supposed to make us feel good about the world views we already have; they're stories that reaffirm the beliefs that we already hold.

According to him, stories that spark strong emotions often capture peoples attention for longer periods of time and many of those stories resonate because they reinforce the beliefs audiences already hold.

Stories that evoke strong emotions in us, but fundamentally theyre supposed to keep us there. We're supposed to like them, we click on them, watch them, and view them for extended periods of time. And more than anything, they're stories that reaffirm the way that we see the world as it already is, Saul said.

Seven years ago, he recognized the problem while working as a journalist. He said stories published by Fox News were unlikely to be read by liberals, while content on CNN was often dismissed by conservatives a dynamic he described as dangerously polarizing.

Why is what we are doing (at Tangle) so successful? I think the actual thing that is driving interest, trust and belief in what we are doing is our values, Saul said.

He said the organization is guided by two core values. The first is operating as a large media organization that aims to serve everyone. The second is being human in the way it communicates with readers.

That approach includes staying curious, communicating like a person, acknowledging mistakes and recognizing that politics are personal.

At a time when some media organizations sound increasingly institutional or rely on AI-generated content, he said the outlet prioritizes writing and speaking in a human voice.

Transparency is also part of that approach. Corrections are placed at the top of articles, along with explanations of how errors occurred. When the organization asks readers to become paying members, it explains why the support is needed and how the money will be used.

Writers also include personal anecdotes about how stories affect them.

When readers understand the lens through which we approach an issue, it builds mutual trust, Saul said.

That transparency, he added, encourages readers to reflect on how their own experiences shape their views and where blind spots may exist.

He said the organization also emphasizes values such as authenticity, consistency, open-mindedness, humility, skepticism, integrity, respect and compassion.

When asked what helped him determine his values, Saul responded with three aspects: his upbringing in a diverse environment, his Jewish faith and positive reinforcement.

I think politics, morality and ethics are personal, and most people make decisions based on their own experiences. Thats really important to understand, he said.

For example, you could show me a study from a university claiming that 85% of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are mean, and I would say theres no way thats true. I went to BYU, and everyone I met was really nice. My personal experience isnt going to be changed by a study. What people experience matters," Saul said.

He reflected on how these personal experiences shaped his view of political polarization.

Going to college and then coming home to my hometown, I realized that people who used to spend time together couldnt even share a meal anymore because of politics. That felt like a big warning sign that something was very broken, Saul said.

Charles Wright, a student at BYU and friend of Sorensen, attended the event and shared his thoughts. He said, I've been surrounded by a lot of political media, so that's what really drew me to this. If we truly believe as disciples of Christ that we should love our enemies, then I think we should prove that more often. And not just say it.

He said the algorithm makes it difficult to love our enemies by feeding the brain politically biased videos all day.

One of the most refreshing things was hearing his perspective on the political landscape and the media, Wright said.

My favorite line was when he said, If the media you're consuming is making you more confident in your political views, then you should probably switch the media you're consuming. I thought that was awesome, Wright said. Because so many people are overly confident in things that arent true, and the same goes for me. I really valued his opinion."