How Our News Feed Works
Understanding how we surface trending topics for nuanced public debate.
Our Philosophy
The news is full of polarising debates where people talk past each other. Society Speaks takes these hot-button issues and creates a space for nuanced, structured discussion where you can disagree agreeably.
We don't shy away from controversial topics - we believe they deserve better debate.
Where We Source Topics
We monitor 60+ quality news sources across the political spectrum to find topics worth debating. Our sources include mainstream news, policy analysis, investigative journalism, think tanks, and intellectual podcasts.
News & Analysis
Articles from these outlets become discussions:
The Guardian, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Independent, The Intercept, New Statesman, The Ezra Klein Show, The News Agents, Matt Taibbi, Freddie deBoer
ProPublica, Slow Boring, Noahpinion, Commonweal
BBC News, Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, Axios, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico EU, Stratechery, Semafor, Rest of World, The Conversation, TechCrunch, Al Jazeera English, Lawfare, MIT Technology Review, Carbon Brief, South China Morning Post, Ars Technica, Brookings Institution, War on the Rocks, Farnam Street
UnHerd, The Dispatch, The Free Press, Reason, The Critic, Marginal Revolution, Cato Institute, Andrew Sullivan, Triggernometry, All-In Podcast
The Telegraph, The Spectator, National Review, The American Conservative, City Journal, Manhattan Institute, The Commentary Magazine, First Things, Christianity Today
Podcasts We Monitor
Topics these shows cover help us prioritise:
The Rest Is Politics, Diary of a CEO, Modern Wisdom, The Tim Ferriss Show, Acquired Podcast, Huberman Lab, Lex Fridman Podcast
Why This Balance Matters
We deliberately include sources from Left to Right so our Coverage Centre can show you how different outlets frame each story. This isn't about finding "truth" in the middle—it's about seeing the full picture.
Source ratings are based on AllSides methodology where available, with manual assessment for podcasts and newer publications. We update ratings monthly.
How We Select Topics
Topics We Include
- Policy debates (economy, healthcare, education, housing)
- Political controversies and elections
- Social issues generating public discussion
- Technology and AI ethics
- Climate and environment policy
- International affairs and geopolitics
- Topics trending in quality publications and podcasts
Topics We Filter Out
- Celebrity gossip and entertainment news
- Reality TV and influencer content
- Shopping guides and lifestyle fluff
- Horoscopes and trivial content
Note: We intentionally keep topics that are "sensationalist" in the media - these indicate issues people care deeply about. Our goal is to bring nuance and balance to debates that are often polarised elsewhere.
How Topics Become Discussions
Article Collection
We gather articles from our sources 4 times daily to catch major news cycles.
Topic Filtering
Articles are filtered to find debate-worthy civic topics while removing celebrity/lifestyle content.
AI Scoring
Topics are scored for debate potential and civic relevance using AI.
Clustering
Similar articles from different sources are grouped into single topics.
Discussion Creation
A neutral discussion title and balanced seed statements are generated to frame the debate fairly.
Quality Checks
Automated checks ensure topics meet quality thresholds before going live.
Source Transparency
Every news discussion shows which publications covered the story. You can see the original sources and read the full articles to get complete context.
We believe in transparency - you should know where topics come from and be able to verify information yourself.
The Daily Brief
Prefer to receive a curated summary? Subscribe to The Daily Brief - our email newsletter that delivers the day's top stories with coverage analysis from multiple perspectives.
- Coverage balance: See which outlets covered each story and their political leanings
- Flexible delivery: Choose morning (6am/8am) or evening (6pm) in your time zone
- Verification links: Direct links to original sources so you can verify claims
Follow Us on Social Media
New discussions are shared on Bluesky throughout the day. Follow us to catch trending topics as they emerge:
@societyspeaks.bsky.socialFeedback Welcome
This system is always evolving. If you think we're missing important topics, including too much noise, or could improve our selection process, we'd love to hear from you.
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