[amoorthy]

This is incorrect. Our readership at The Factual is polled every day on trending questions and results show that they do not fall along party lines consistently. The same person often agrees with different sides on different issues. (Our polls often match up to national polls like Pew and Gallup so they may be representative of the US though we do not ask demographic information to prove this).

Moreover, research shows that reading different sides, when they are both presented in an informative fashion, helps people appreciate different viewpoints if not change it at times. It's only when viewpoints are presented with highly inflammatory language that we tend to dig into our pre-existing beliefs.

This isn't about finding some mythical center. People are often curious why people have different viewpoints. Indeed, I think this is a big reason why comment sections like HN work so well. The net effect likely is one of moderation in one's beliefs, which seems like a good thing overall.