Port: The public debate doesn't match the way the public votes

MINOT — A big part of this job is telling you, the audience, things you don't want to hear. From the misadventures of a favored public figure to the uncovering of an inconvenient truth about a supported initiative to a spotlight on an unpopular but valid minority point of view, we in the news media have a duty to provoke. Not for provocation's sake — though there is an entire ecosystem of online influencers, cable news talking heads and talk radio hosts who do that for fame and money — but as an exercise in understanding. The truth is complicated, and rarely conforms to anyone's preferred belief system, yet remains the truth, however it might make us feel. For me, the bit of truth that earns me the most consistent pushback — from angry comments to rolled eyes and incredulous looks — is the idea that voters are mostly satisfied with the status quo in North Dakota. The reactions are understandable, given the state of public discourse. When Rep. Mike Nathe and Superint