By threading multiple perspectives from thousands of publications through one, reliable information platform, Ground News frees readers from algorithmic restraints, reveals blindspots and makes media bias explicit.
Below, we'll outline how Ground News works as well as the features it offers to encourage media analysis and lateral reading.
If you have any questions about Ground, please feel free to contact us at feedback@ground.news with "WVU" in the subject line.
Methodology
The bias rating of a news source is determined using third-party, independent organizations dedicated to monitoring and rating news publishers along the political spectrum. Their methods include: editorial reviews, blind bias surveys, independent reviews, and third party research. The rating is based on the U.S. political scale.
Learn more about our rating methodology here.
Accessing the Bias Ratings
To see the breakdown of Bias ratings from Media Bias/Fact Check, AllSides and Ad Fontes Media, see the profile page of the news publisher in Ground News. This can be accessed via the Search feature. Each news source that has articles in Ground News also has a profile page with more detail including original Bias ratings, list of all published articles on Ground News, Related Topics and where available, Wikipedia page link and location of news publishers’ head office.
Top Feed
The Top Feed on Ground News is a universal feed, based on your selected edition. There are 3 editions of Ground News available, featuring news from their respective locations: United States, UK, and International. Everyone using your edition will see the same major news events. Every event shows an aggregate picture of reporting on the story from outlets across the political spectrum, for easy analysis with Ground's comparison tools.
My Feed
The “My Feed Tab” is where you can customize your news feed to suit your interests.
The news in "My Feed" is personalized and is based on your location, topics/sources followed and app usage patterns. Following media sources that are based in your geographic region and topics that pique your interest will give you a curated feed that’s relevant to you.
Local Feed
The local feed features news from your location. It includes news from national and local sources.
All stories on Ground News are accompanied by a media bias distribution chart so you can see how a story is (or isn’t) being reported across the political spectrum. This information is visually represented in the bias bar.
If a story only has “10% political bias coverage” from one side, it indicates that story is receiving lopsided coverage. For example, if the bias bar rating is 10% Left, this would be a Blindspot for the Left, whereas a rating of 10% Right would indicate a Blindspot for the Right. The Blindspot Feed is a helpful tool to avoid filter bubbles created by algorithms that use your browsing history to determine the news stories you see online.
All stories are aggregated equally on Ground, and a lack of reporting from one side is often due to “coverage bias”. The best example of coverage bias is when news sources don't report on a story because it contradicts their political narrative. This is often seen when a prominent politician messes up, and sources that have the same political views as the politician choose not to report on the story.
What is lateral reading?
Defined by Wineberg & McGrew (2018) as the practice of "leaving a site after a quick scan, opening up new browser tabs along the screen’s horizontal axis to judge the credibility of the original site" instead of staying on a single website.
According to the same study, fact checkers engage in more frequent lateral reading practices and "compared to the other groups, fact checkers arrived at more warranted conclusions in a fraction of the time".
Instead of having to open numerous tabs, Ground News allows readers to easily enter a variety of websites to view how they're reporting on a similar event, creating a unique, seamless way to engage in lateral reading.
Navigate the News
Ground News offers both an Overview and Full Coverage of a given news article. The Overview will provide a brief summary in neutral language and highlights 3 articles from different sources, each from a given point on the political spectrum (left, right, or centre).
Full Coverage provides a more in-depth view of coverage, allowing readers to see the total number of outlets reporting on an issue, their political lean, location, and time of publication. They can easily swipe between the entire range of articles, as well as sort them based on time of publication, source bias, and factuality.
Save Articles for Future Reading
