I think @Rosika was referring to the range of topics presented, rather than the content of an individual news item.
Content is only biased when it is political.
I was originally referring to any website that pretended to present factual content. That of course includes news, but also things like wikipedia, educational sites, and scientific sites.
Our Australian ABC was heavily influenced by the BBC.
I am sure you are right that the results are being tailored somewhat. This is nothing new. When I read your posting I thought about “yellow journalism” when " newspapers that use sensationalized headlines and exaggerated stories to increase sales".
Here in the states the new you hear will be a lot different from sources like ABC, NBC, and Fox News. Of course it’s just my opinion, but I believe ABC and NBC present the news with less bias where as Fox New present the news tailor to what their audience want to hear or agree with.
Or a news channel. I do not have to watch Fox News. I have other choices. And searching the web, I use google, but I know there are other search engines out there if I did not like the results google is giving me.
Yes, at least the freedom of Linux allows us fo choose browsers, etc
In Australia we have a mix of government and private news services… We do tend to choose the service whose bias we sympathesize with. As you say, at least we get to choose.
Hi Neville, 
Yes, you worded it better than I did. Thanks for the clarification.
I see.
But why the past tense?
Isn´t that the case any longer?
Has ABC emancipated itself from the BBC in the meantime?
Cheers from Rosika 
I am not sure. The ABC used to send its news readers to the BBC to be trained. That seems to have stopped in the last 10 years.
Hi Neville,
Ah, I see.
That´s quite some recent development then. Interesting.
Thanks for the info and cheers from Rosika
Now there is a man who knows how to think for himself. It is a very good question. We could ask the same question using two different search engines or even two different A/i platforms and who knows what the differences might be. I guess it boils down to the level of trust one accepts when using the Internet or any technology.
I’m not very concerned about websites providing me with “personalized” content. They own the site, and unless they’re doing something illegal, they have the right to run their site as they see fit within the limitations of the law. If I don’t like what I get/see on a site, I can always leave.
Regarding news: I watch OTA TV broadcasts, or I listen to my radio (ABC or CBS news on TV, and one of two or three classic rock radio stations near me, or a regional PBS radio station like Michigan Radio (which I can listen live online during high/intense periods of solar/storm activity), or my local PBS radio broadcast station, WGTE.
Regarding shopping: I never “Go shopping” simply for something to do. When I shop, I’m looking for a specific type of item, e.g., a TV for my bedroom, or a new video adapter for my computer, etc. I can’t shop in brick-N-mortar establishments any more, due to physical limitations, so I usually start “shopping” with a series of Internet searches, using a variety of search terms/strings. I peruse the results of each search until I find candidates for purchase, tweaking my search until I get the results I want. Next, I research each candidate to determine which one will best meet my desired criteria. This process usually takes me a few months, but by the time I’m ready to choose a candidate for purchase, I usually know quite a bit about the item I’ve selected, and I’ve decided where I’ll make my purchase. I avoid mysterious, unknown websites. Typically, I end up purchasing my candidate item from known online stores like Amazon, Best Buy, J. C. Penney, etc. Because of how I shop, personalized content has little effect since I have already decided which specific item I intent to purchase. If I’ve already viewed the item I’m going to purchase, it’s only because I was checking the site earlier for price. If for any reason I’m not shown the specific item I’m looking for, I look elsewhere.
To put it succinctly, I tend to ignore whether what I get on the Internet is “personalized” for me, or not. I search for what I want, and if my search doesn’t give me the results I’m looking for, I tweak my search terms until it does. If “personalization” improves my search results, then I’m all for it, otherwise I ignore it.
Ernie
I definitely stick with known sites like ebay or certain favourite suppliers. I try not to have an account, but some sites force you to. I pay with a special prepaid credit card that only has a couple of hundred dollars in it.
I prefer to use real local shops where I can , but the selection of items offered locally is often poor.
For large items, I prefer to phone the supplier and do a phone transaction.
Because of where we live, freight is a significant component of any large purchases.
I dont really care about personslised presentations either, but I dont want them personalising the price of items or the content of info sites.
Neither do I. So far, I’m surprised to learn that some vendors are doing such a thing. Interestingly, I usually find differing prices for specific items I decide to purchase from various sellers (Amazon vs. Best Buy for example), so if “personalization” gets me a better price from one seller vs. another, I suppose I’ll take that too. Since I always price-compare, I don’t think price “personalization” would help anyone but me, or am I missing something …
Ernie
I’ve heard, but can’t say I’ve seen it, that if you search for a flight for an upcoming trip, they will change the price on later visits. Maybe they think bumping the price a bit will put pressure on you to make the purchase.
The rumour is that if Amazon see you buying expensive items, they restrict what you see to the most expensive part of the range… I dont think anyone would want that.
Since I seldom get the most expensive items (I live on a limited, fixed income), I never experience this, but I agree, I wouldn’t want this either.
Ernie
You hit the nail on the head @pdecker.
That is a fact, I and others have experienced.
It also applies to quotes for car insurance in my case and probably many other things.
Shopping online sucks in that respect.
The way round the increases for looking prices up is to use a VPN or containers.
Do you mean put the browser in firejail?
I would not have thought of using firejail for that purpose.
Not necessarily, a contained tab should be enough.
That is a new feature… my firefox does not have it
I think firejail stops anything in the browser affecting your Linux. I dont think it can protect the browser from linux.
It is one directional.
and
I think you need to use firejail --private so that each session is like a new fresh browser.
but
I dont see how that stops cookies within one session?
Sorry Neville
I should have made the point of contained tabs clearer.
Its a Firefox extension that allows you to do so.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account-containers/
A firejailed browser in a VM with a VPN running is probably better.
I consider anything done online is recorded somewhere or other.
OK, that is why I dont have it, thanks
I read the link… it would seem containered tabs are about as good as firejail.
That worries me.
I dont think even a VPN is going to stop a browser cookie from snooping on your bank details.
I think I might be safer using a specific bank app in my android tablet. Not in a phone, I dont trust phones either.
Me too
I use bank on a iphone and browser on PC.
Not too happy about it but have to.
The good old days/ways have gone.
Sadly, now memories.