In a world where corporate media giants dominate the news industry, it can be difficult to find unbiased and independent sources of information.
That's where OptOut comes in.
Launched in early 2022, OptOut is a news app that brings together almost 200 trustworthy news sources and distributes their content on one platform that is curated by a team of journalists. Its goal is to offer news consumers a fully independent media ecosystem that is free from corporate media narratives.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at OptOut and how it's changing the news industry. It is now expanding into Canada and the UK.
Here’s a run down!
OptOut is a news app that launched in early 2022.
It is the first to only feature independent media. It brings together almost 200 trustworthy news sources and distributes their content on one platform that is curated by a team of journalists.
An alternative to Apple News
The founders of OptOut, Alex Kotch and Walker Bragman, created the app because they were unhappy with the content offered by Apple News, which mainly consisted of corporate media and topics that didn't interest them. They decided to create a network of reliable independent news sources.
They’re a not-for-profit charity
OptOut is a not-for-profit charity that is run by a team of part-time contractors and volunteers. It is still in beta mode and is working on a major redesign that will include news and location categories. This will allow users to get more specific news tailored to their region and interests. OptOut is expanding to Canada and the UK.
Curated by journalists
OptOut's news aggregation app is curated by a team of journalists, including Kotch and Bragman. The team aims to promote the content of some of the best financially independent news outlets and distribute them on one platform, competing with corporate and legacy media giants. The app is not republishing content but is pulling in RSS feeds and linking to the original websites within the app, ensuring that there are no copyright issues.
They publish newsletters too
OptOut offers four main newsletters, including a general newsletter and three issue-specific newsletters. It is also testing other specific newsletters, which will cover a range of topics such as climate, labour organising, democracy, voting rights, and racial justice. OptOut's newsletters provide people with the information they need to make their communities better.