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Got a question?Get your answer.

The most frequently asked questions about Balanced News Summary can be found right here.

Who is the founder? What is their personal bias?

The founder of Balanced News Summary is Christopher William. William is an independent researcher from Australia who has devoted his time and money into building his dream news app. He is a centrist on the political spectrum, often reading from a wide range of both left and right-wing sources. William has self-funded the development of his news platform and does not have any financial backing from shareholders or large corporations, nor does he have any intention of charging fees to use his app because he believes that every opinion deserves to be heard.

William thinks it's good to respectfully disagree with someone's viewpoint. By staying open-minded and willing to engage in respectful dialogue with others, he believes we can all help to create a more informed and inclusive society. William hopes that his app will change the way people think and feel about opposing views, and hopes to live in a world where people can discuss conflicting views without splitting society into factions.

Does the bias rating apply to the news article mentioned or the entire news source?

The bias ratings apply to the news source that the article has come from. We research each news source based on a range of factors that you can read about on our how we rate bias page. The founder has self-funded this news platform and unfortunately does not have the money to invest in the software that analyses each individual article; however this is something he would like to implement in the future.

What is a filter bubble / echo chamber / feedback loop?

Social media algorithms result in a phenomenon known as 'filter bubbles' 'echo chambers' or 'feedback loops'. The information driving the algorithmic engine is derived from our past clicks, likes, comments, and shares. This results in a feedback loop where the output of an algorithm is used to modify the input data, which in turn affects the algorithm's future recommended feed items. The output of the algorithm may then become increasingly extreme or biased as a result, which can lead to a vicious cycle of only showing one view. If you are interested in reading more, Wikipedia gives a good overview on the topic.

How does your feed show both sides if it is automated?

Unlike other news feeds, Balanced News Summary does not use any algorithms to automate its news feed. News is aggregated from a wide range of news sources, but content that is produced appears the same for every user. We do not have any personalised feeds and we do not allow users to filter out alternate views. It is our view that these personalised feeds gradually segregates people into ideological filter bubbles and echo chambers where opposing points of view are ignored. For a more detailed discussion on algorithms, check out Ethics of Personalization Algorithms in Cloud Computing by Engin Bozdag and Job Timmermans.

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