It has been a while since I wrote an update about the website. Hopefully, you have noticed some changes.
The first change is we have new hosting. This has allowed us to mostly fix the search feature for sources. There is a better way, but that will require some funds to make happen. For now, you should be able to use the search bar located in the header to find the source you are looking for. It is not 100%, but it is dramatically better than before when the source you were looking for appeared on page 2 or 10.
Although we kept our current theme the layout is different. We went with a three column approach to reduce scrolling and get more info on the opening screen. We dropped some features that nobody cared about and tried some new things. First, we added the feature where you can see each new source as we add them to the website. We also added a Google search bar to dig deeper into the website as it now has close to 3000 pages.
Just today, we added a syndicated political news feed that will bring content from Left-Center to Right-Center sources by our criteria. This is experimental and if it starts displaying news that is opposed to our mission it will be gone. We are also adding news directly to our page through syndication which allows us to get big stories up much faster and from reputable sources. As always we will never publish anything from a purely left or right source.
We also separated our menu into two different sections, one with info about the site/feedback etc. and a separate bar just for bias. There were complaints that the menu bar was a jumbled mess. We agreed and hopefully this make it easier to navigate.
Finally, we unfortunately did increase our advertising on the sidebars. It really is the only way we can keep this operation running and growing. We appreciate the donations and need them as well, but advertising generates steady expected income that can be put back into the website. I wish one day to get rid of all ads and rely solely on donations, but to grow we need funds now. Not a hint, but there is a link on the sidebar. Wink, wink.
That is all for now. As always we welcome suggestions.
Dave Van Zandt
Editor-Owner
Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources
I think the “Recently Added Sources” should go to the top of the right-hand column since the site’s main purpose is to be a catalogue of news sources by bias and reliability.
I think you are right about that.