Perspective in history

Everyone knows that you cannot fully trust media outlets because every single one has its own "agenda", or a set of ideals they want to push. I had never before realized the same is true for historians. As Foner argues in his article, "All history... is contemporary history." They decide what is important to study based of events that happened recently or are currently happening around them. Not only do historians decide this but the public also. Historians want to make sure what they write and study will inform people, sell to people, and, most importantly, make people want to read it. A historian can write a beautiful piece on how the paint dried on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. While that may be interesting to a few people, I would read it, most people do not want to waste time reading about how paint dried. If a historian can not get people to read the piece it will neither inform nor sell. If people can relate historical events to what is happening around them, the piece has a much higher chance of being successful because the piece becomes attractive to Mr. and Mrs. Every-person.