Recency of an article: Highlighting the publication date allows Thinkrs users to turn their mind to whether the article might contain developing, established, historical or out-of-date information. 
 

News vs Opinion: Bias and influence is the culprit here! This prompt draws the user’s attention to whether an article is is an identified opinion piece that might be written  to influence or direct thinking.

Since all news is presented as factual reporting (what happened), analysis (why it happened) or opinion (what to think of what happened), as the AI develops it will independently detect the nature of the reporting style in the article. 
 

Political spectrum: Basic assessment of where reporting from this media organization usually sits on the political spectrum – Divided into five basic categories: left, center left, center, center right and right.

As the AI and the information database are developed, this function will develop subject matter specific assessments of where the organization sits in its reporting on that specific issue.

We have three methods of identifying this positioning which include: Advisor recommendations, aggregate of published sources, community voting. This is the most comprehensive method to find an approximation of accurate bias, as we consider a range of inputs, which are ongoing, diverse and feed into our assessment. 
 

Partisanship bias: Basic assessment of the bias with which this media organization is generally known to report –  Generally balanced, Moderately biased & Strongly biased. It reflects the degree to which reporting from this media organization may contain selective information, incomplete truths, unfair persuasion or reinforce particular narratives.
The separation of this element from the political spectrum allows for acknowledgement that, for example, more bias to a center left position does not mean a further left political position, nor that more left necessarily means less factual or more biased.
 

Media organization ownership: Basic critical information on the ownership structure that may be relevant to understanding its/their role, influence, interest and bias in the news that is being presented to the user, as well as links for further reading. 
 

Mainstream media comparison: Quick access to 3 to 5  articles from other mainstream media organizations across the political spectrum, to allow the user to readily see how similiar matters are being reported on differently from left to right. This provides exposure, fosters understanding and awareness, and ultimately gives a more informed perspective on a given issue.
Initially, these options will be fixed for each media organization, with a view to developing a customizable function to allow the user to select their preferences from the left, center and right. 
 

Alternative media sources: As mainstream media becomes increasingly polarized into the largely indistinguishable centrist left and right, users are looking for news and analysis outside the mainstream. This function will give ready access to reporting on the progressive left and conservative right to see non-mainstream perspectives on the article’s subject matter.
As the AI and information database develop, this function will develop to include subject matter specific alternative media options. Allowing, for example, quick links to African American media where the subject matter is particularly related or relevant to African American concerns, or links to First Nations media for articles on Indigenous issues.