Well, when it comes to run-of-the-mill voters: you make that assessment by asking them general and nonconfrontational questions as to why they have taken the political position they've taken. If someone responds with some variation of "That's just how I feel" -- then it becomes clear that they aren't taking into account the real-life ramifications of a policy or issue on the lives of others (or even the impact on themselves).

With media gatekeepers, it's a little different. Their words are already being broadcasted (or reported in print), so it's a matter of determining whether they are being intellectually honest. As I demonstrated in Weijia Jiang's case, she obviously wasn't. She was trying to narrowly orchestrate her coverage based on a prewritten narrative, like shoving a triangular peg into a diamond-shaped slot.