In some ways, the political world we live in is one of extremes.  We are force fed narratives to believe that every issue in this country is either black or white. 

Being that there are just two major political parties mean that there exist only two, usually diametrically opposed, viewpoints on the country.  Both parties have their own media machines - their own media houses, radio stations, television stations - which tell us what they want us to believe.

Inevitably, the side which happens to be in government tells us that all is well, that the country is going in the right direction, and that the party which is in opposition is always wrong.

Meanwhile, the party which is in opposition tells us that everything is a disaster: that the country is in freefall, that it's on the path towards destruction, and that, of course, it's all the government's fault.

Every issue is presented as being black or white - you're either on one side of the fence or the other.  But the fact of the matter is that more often than not, the issue falls somewhere in the middle - if you look at it colour-wise, it's neither black nor white but more grey.

This is where the importance of having strong, alternative, and independent voices to present what the situation at hand truly looks like comes into the fold.

The independent media has an important role in this, but likewise does the state broadcaster - especially because the only television stations which are not politically-owned have little in terms of resources and viewership when compared to their political party counterparts.

Can we truly say, right now, that the state broadcaster is set up in a way that it will promote independent and bias-free lines of thinking that run counter to what political parties are saying? Especially if it's the government of the day that needs to be countered?

Many will answer that question with a "not really."

The recent proliferation of new political parties will no doubt also have a positive impact on how many issues are viewed.  With new groups and new people come new viewpoints, new opinions, and new perspectives which will hopefully help people draw a more rounded and educated viewpoint of issues themselves.

Recent history - particularly the elections last June - suggests that more and more people are seeing alternatives to the two major political parties and their viewpoints.  For many that was to not vote, for some it was to vote for independent or third party candidates.

More and more people are becoming conscious of the fact that many issues really aren't black and white - and that level of understanding can only be of benefit to the country and how we choose to move forward.