Frequently Asked Questions

How Did We All End Up in a Bubble?
Gone are the days of everyone tuning in at 5:30pm to Dan Rather or Walter Cronkite. Whether people were conservative, liberal, or moderate, they all watched the same news. And honestly, the news was kind of boring. Remember when the news was boring? Boomers? Gen X? You know what I’m talking about.Today, we have so many choices of where to get our news. While it might intuitively seem like more choices mean a greater breadth of information, it’s actually the opposite. Today’s mainstream media outlets are competing for viewers. They do this by:
1. Sensationalizing the news (BREAKING!! You won’t believe what the president said!) and
2. By choosing a niche and catering to the opinions of the people in that niche.
And this is great for their ratings, because:
1. Don’t you want to know what the president said?! Why won’t I believe it?! and
2. Everyone wants to find other people who agree with them. It’s human nature!


What Are You Talking About? I’m Not in a Bubble!
Maybe you’re thinking, “Hey, I know about the bubble, but I’m not in one. The people on the other side, that’s who’s in the bubble.” The fact is that it is VERY hard to find news today that doesn’t include some element of opinion and spin. You might think only the other side is in a bubble. You know what, they think they’re not and you are. Guess what? You’re both right (Yay!). Everyone is in a bubble (Boo!).


How Does Social Media Play a Role?
Social media sites and search engines are even more extreme. Their programs are driven by algorithms that filter search results and news feeds to fit your existing biases. You keep seeing the same opinions over and over, news that validates what you already think, and suddenly, you’re in an echo chamber. But it’s hard to see the bubble when you’re inside it. We are here to pop that bubble.


How Does SamePage.News Provide Bias- and Agenda-Proof Information?
1. Our fact-only story format. We provide the top stories of the day as a series of fact-only bullet points. We have collected news from various sources, both liberal and conservative, and stripped out all of the opinions, misleading statements, and language meant to influence the reader.
2. Input from both sides. Beneath the facts-only section, we invite analysts from both sides to share their analysis and perspective. Readers get to look at these analyses, clearly labeled, side-by-side.
3. Rebuttal from both sides. Each analysis can be commented on from one analyst on the opposing side.


How Do I Know You’re Not Trying to Manipulate Me One Way or the Other?
“Sure, you say you’re balanced,” you might be thinking, “but maybe you have super-smart analysts and one side and total duds on the other.” Nope. And to prevent our bias from seeping in, we don’t choose our analysts—you do! Our readers rate all of our analysts, and if anybody has less than a 90 percent rating, they’re out. We have truly done everything we can think of to remove any bias we might subconsciously be including.


Why Are Your News Stories so Short?
When you take a regular news story and strip out all of the opinion, you’re usually left with something that’s no more than 350 words.


Why Don’t You Allow Readers to Comment?
We wanted to present the news without all of the noise that usually comes along with it. I think we can all agree that we have enough noise in our lives already.


Are You Saying You Don’t Like Opinions?
We don’t have a problem with opinions at all. We love opinions! You should hear our office—lots of opinions (and a lot of noise!). Our issue is not with opinions. Our issue is with opinions disguised as unbiased news stories. News should be as impartial as possible, opinions should be clearly labeled as such, and never the twain shall meet!


So, Who Are These Analysts Anyway?
We have carefully chosen and vetted the analysts who post their opinions on the site. The staff at SamePage.News spans the political spectrum, and we want our analysts to span the spectrum as well. We seek analysts who are passionate, but also well-informed on the issues. Your Uncle Lenny who goes on a political tirade at Thanksgiving? Not who we’re looking for. And remember, all of our analysts are rated by our readers. If they don’t live up to your standards, they’re out.


Are You Saying that You Don’t Like Journalists?
No! We are definitely not saying that. Journalists reporting the facts are critical to a free society. We applaud those journalists who take their job seriously and report the facts. We also have no objection to analysts and commentators presenting their viewpoint. What we object to is analysis and commentary being presented as facts.


How Can I Know When I’m Being Manipulated?
Education! We want our readers to know bias when they see it, from either side. On our site, we teach you about some of the most common tricks the media uses to manipulate you. Now you’ll know when someone is trying to put you back in the bubble.