The case of Jussie Smollet dominated the news cycle for the last few weeks. Smollet, a San Francisco Bay Area native, stars in the hit Fox musical “Empire.” Smollet claims he was assaulted in Chicago and gave a description of white men in “MAGA” hats.

Smollet also claims they poured bleach on him and tried to put a rope on his neck. As the story developed it became more confusing as news outlets loosely shared unconfirmed information and updates.

The social media lines were drawn as predicted with many Trump supporters, assuming he was lying from the beginning. Fans of the show “Empire”  defended Smollet against accusations of him lying.

What tapped into the pulse of America was not just the typical ideological polarization, it was also a news pendulum that swung unpredictably. The Chicago Police Department, infamous for its corruption, has been the source of much speculation surrounding leaks in the case.

They tried to cover up the Laquan McDonald murder in 2015 for over a year. So their credibility is questionable.

Yet, some media outlets  continued to rely on shaky “sources” for information even though CPD has an official communications liaison. So, it goes back to a consistent burning question in our country: All questions about the validity of Smollets claim aside,“has America lost its critical thinking ability?”