“People don’t seek information, they seek confirmation.”
It is a human tendency to look for and interpret information in a way that reinforces or confirms what you already believe.
Imagine you have tried to reach out to a friend, left a number of messages but still haven’t heard back. In a situation like this it is easy to conclude that your friend is avoiding you. The problem is that you soon start believing its true.
Sales people often fall victim to this bias when they ask prospects questions in search of specific answers. “Would you like to increase productivity of your operations by 10%?” Of course they do but that doesn’t mean they need your solution or are ready to make a decision.
Journalists looking for specific stories would generally avoid any contrary evidence. Researchers aiming to prove a hypothesis are likely to design an experiment for specific outcomes.
We all have our own world views and deep inside we all want them to be right. That is what stops us from looking out for objective facts.