Why is it so difficult for us to accept new ideas?

Donald Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer at the contentious Jan 21 press conference when he presented ‘alternate facts’ about the president’s inauguration, furthering Trump’s message that the media cannot be trusted. Photo: Reuters

What is the value of a local graduate in Malaysia? According to a professor from Harvard University, about the same as secondary school dropouts in some other countries. Or rather, according to a headline and report on an online news portal.

Because a few days after the story first broke, a retraction was published by the portal clarifying that the professor had “never stated this”. The esteemed gentleman had sent them an e-mail saying that he did not say local graduates in Malaysia were not good but rather that he had no data on Malaysia and that somebody had to do a study to find out.