Frequently Asked Questions

What is SlantReport?

SlantReport is a political news aggregator that shows the same day’s headlines across five editorial perspectives simultaneously. You choose a perspective using the dial at the top of the page, and the site shows you how sources in that lane are covering today’s news — with headlines rewritten by AI to match that editorial voice.

Isn’t this just creating a filter bubble?

The opposite. A filter bubble is a system that hides perspectives from you. SlantReport puts all five perspectives on the same page and lets you switch between them instantly. The site is designed to make switching perspectives as frictionless as possible — the whole point is that you can turn the dial and watch the same story transform. Staying in one bucket is a choice; the product is built to encourage the opposite.

Are the rewritten headlines accurate?

The AI rewrites framing and tone, not facts. The subject, event, and outcome of every story are preserved. What changes is how the story is presented — what language is used, what is foregrounded, what the implied stakes are. This is exactly what human editors do when they write headlines. SlantReport makes that process visible by showing five versions side by side. If you want to see the original headline, click through to the source — every headline links to the original article.

How were the five buckets defined?

The five buckets — Populist Left, Mainstream Left, Centrist, Conservative, and MAGA — reflect the major editorial clusters in the current American political media landscape. They were defined based on the editorial identities, stated positions, and typical framing of the sources included in each bucket. They are not a perfect taxonomy. Media ecosystems are messy and some sources could reasonably be placed in adjacent buckets. The goal is not precision — it is legibility.

Why is [publication X] in that bucket?

Source placement is a judgment call, and reasonable people can disagree. Sources were placed based on their consistent editorial voice across political coverage — not based on any single article or any outside rating system. If you think a source is miscategorized, that is a fair critique.

Who decides what the Slant Pick is?

The Slant Pick is chosen algorithmically, not by a human editor. The algorithm considers recency, novelty (how many buckets are covering the story), source type, and other signals. No human makes an editorial judgment about which story leads the page — that determination is made by the algorithm on every refresh cycle.

Does SlantReport have a political bias?

The site is built to surface bias, not to express one. The source selection and bucket definitions reflect judgment calls — particularly around where to draw the lines between buckets. Those choices are documented on the About page. SlantReport does not editorially endorse any of the five perspectives, does not accept advertiser influence over source selection, and does not have political funding.

How often does the site update?

Headlines refresh every 30 minutes. The Slant Pick and Breaking News detection update on the same cycle. During major breaking news events, the same story may dominate multiple buckets simultaneously — this is working as intended.

Why do some buckets have more headlines than others?

Each bucket pulls from its configured sources and surfaces the most recent headlines. High-volume sources (large daily publications) naturally produce more headlines per cycle than lower-volume sources (individual columnists, weekly publications). The site currently surfaces the top 20 headlines per bucket per refresh cycle.

Can I suggest a source?

Yes. If you think a publication or feed belongs in one of the five buckets and is not currently included, the best way to share feedback is via the SlantReport Twitter/X account @SlantReport.

Does SlantReport use cookies or track me?

No tracking cookies. No personal data collection. SlantReport uses privacy-friendly analytics that measure aggregate site traffic — page views, referral sources, general geographic regions — without identifying individual users. The site does not share data with advertisers. Note: once display advertising is enabled on this site, ad-serving technology may use cookies in accordance with standard industry practice. This FAQ will be updated at that time.