By Noah Tagliaferri, political columnist

This one is going to be short and to the point. Last month, approximately 25 members of the Northeastern University College Republicans, myself included, attended CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference. We heard from many speakers, including President Donald J. Trump, Nigel Farage and a number of other conservative leaders.

The days were full of laughs, smiles and exciting discussion of what the next years of conservatism will bring. As I was leaving CPAC, I browsed the news and found that many outlets were reporting CPAC in a very different way than I saw. I saw a nonviolent, inclusive and diverse body of people and ideas. There were Christian, Jewish and Muslim conservatives. There were moderate and strict conservatives. There were Republicans and Libertarians.

Yet, the news prefers small soundbites. Media outlets would rather focus on a single chant they did not like, or the fact that one speaker could not come to the conference for one reason. They do not care to report on the in-depth panel discussions that went on for hours, or the young men and women who were there, excited to create a country that works for everyone.

The group of conservatives I saw at CPAC made me proud to call myself a conservative. To any of those out there afraid by the things you may see on the news, rest assured. The conservative movement is not the alt-right, and never will be. It remains the movement of Lincoln and Reagan, and CPAC just proved it will continue to be the bastion for true freedom in America.

Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons