Introducing Non-Mainstream Search Results

Break free from the mainstream with Freespoke

In a world overflowing with information, finding diverse perspectives on current events and elections can often feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. While mainstream news outlets play a vital role in shaping our understanding, they don’t always capture the full spectrum of voices and viewpoints.  

That’s why we’re excited to introduce a groundbreaking feature in our search engine: Non-Mainstream Coverage for news-related search queries. 

What Is Non-Mainstream Coverage? 

Our Non-Mainstream Coverage feature highlights articles, blogs, podcasts, and other media from independent journalists, grassroots organizations, and niche publications. This new functionality empowers you to explore stories and analyses that may not be front-page news but offer valuable insights and alternative viewpoints. 

Why It Matters 

1.      Broader Perspectives: By surfacing content from a variety of sources, users can access information that reflects different experiences, opinions, and analyses. This is especially crucial during elections, where understanding diverse viewpoints can inform more balanced decision-making. 

2.      Unbiased Search Results: Whether they intend to or not, Big Tech search engines have bias baked into their results. With this new improvement in Freespoke, independent and niche publishers get as much shine as the big media companies, allowing you more freedom to research.  

3.      Encouraging Critical Thinking: Exposure to various viewpoints encourages debate of ideas and critical thinking about topics. Both are key to the informed populace that ensures a free society. 

How It Works 

When you conduct a search related to news or elections, look for the Non-Mainstream Coverage panel in the results. You’ll see it appear at the top of results in our mobile app and in a panel to the upper right on desktop or our browser extension.  

How We Made It Happen 

When using Big Tech search engines like Google or Bing, your search results are determined by the sites that get the most clicks or the sites that pay the most (we’re looking at you, Reddit). At Freespoke, we are doing things differently.  

Our search team has been working tirelessly to make improvements under the hood to give you a diversity of viewpoints and sources. Of course, you’ll continue to get the big media sites in your search results, but you’ll also see more independent voices highlighted.  

Our Head of Engineering, John, explains how it works best:  

“We analyzed over 10,000 publishers to find underrepresented viewpoints and promote smaller and non-corporate-owned outlets. We gathered data from numerous external sources, as well as our own extensive index of sites we crawl and the half a decade of history from our team of news curators. Going forward, we will continue to tune the results to include additional sources, many you've heard of and hopefully some which you'll find new and interesting.” 

Join the Movement 

As we launch this new feature, we invite you to explore the depths of news and election information beyond the mainstream. Dive into the world of independent media, uncover diverse voices, and broaden your understanding of controversial topics Google and Big Tech don’t want you to see.

We believe that by promoting non-mainstream coverage, we can foster a more informed and engaged public. 

Start Searching Today! 

Ready to discover all those insights you’ve been missing? Head to Freespoke, search for whatever you’d like and check out the non-mainstream panel. After your search, we’d appreciate any feedback you have as our search team continues to fine-tune the results and add even more diverse sources.  

Happy searching!

-The Freespoke Team