Let's Talk About the News, Not the Source

Originally, Your News Headlines was supposed to be a Twitter or Instagram bot. The idea was simple: whenever a big news story broke, a bot would automatically share it on social media.

But there were already plenty of news bots out there, and I soon realised that a dedicated website, and eventually an Android app, would be much more useful. Still, sharing news on social media has always been a core part of what Your News Headlines is about.

One thing I've noticed over the years is how quickly conversations about news stories can turn into arguments about the source rather than the story itself.

Share an article from a particular newspaper or broadcaster, and you'll often get responses like "That source is full of lies" or "Of course you'd read that newspaper." Before you know it, everyone is arguing about the publication, and nobody is discussing what actually happened.

That's one of the reasons I find sharing stories from Your News Headlines so useful.

Rather than relying on a single publication, Your News Headlines brings together coverage from multiple reputable news organisations. When several independent sources report on the same story, we group their headlines together, giving readers a broader view of what's happening.

The idea isn't to tell people what to think. It's to help them see what multiple news organisations are reporting and encourage conversations about the actual events.

Made for Sharing

I've also created custom preview images for every headline, designed to appear when you share a story on most social media platforms.

These previews put the headline front and centre, making it immediately clear what the story is about, rather than drawing attention to any particular newspaper or broadcaster.

It's a small feature, but I think it makes a difference. The focus is on the news itself, not which publication reported it.

Of course, that doesn't mean the source doesn't matter. Reliable journalism is essential, and different publications can have different perspectives on the same events. That's precisely why bringing multiple sources together is useful.

So next time you come across a big story on Your News Headlines, why not share it?

Let's spend less time arguing about where the news came from and more time talking about what's actually happening in the world.