New PinkNews website and app gives readers the choice to stay positive with ‘uplifting’ news filter

PinkNews has unveiled its brand new comprehensive ‘uplifting news filter’ as part of its newly revamped website and app.

In a digital first for the globally recognised media company, the filter gives PinkNews’ more than 100 million unique users the choice to only read and view positive news stories.

The feature will first be available for the PinkNews app, while a version for its website will launch in 2023.

“PinkNews serves a diverse global community and our mission to inform, inspire change, and empower people to be themselves is at the very centre of all that we do,” CEO Benjamin Cohen said.

“We have long championed under-represented voices, and through this, we have recognised the need to allow our audiences only to see uplifting stories if they so wish in a world where they continue to be targeted.”

The decision was made after a Reuters study revealed that 46 per cent of people in the UK try to avoid the news.

This was predominantly due to the lack of control users had in choosing the news they wished to consume, especially during a time of increasingly “depressing” stories of marginalisation for the LGBTQ+ community.

New and improved PinkNews website and app

The filter releases alongside a newly-designed website and app layout that demonstrate how expertly-crafted design and accessability can go hand-in-hand.

Among the considerations made for the new, sleek design, were accessibility decisions that aim to benefit the PinkNews audiences when reading the news.

These include an aesthetically pleasing colour palette that has passed tests for visually impaired people, a text-to-speech functionality to allow readers to listen to stories, and options to choose fonts and sizes autonomously.

The new design also considers issues surrounding sustainability, which has made the PinkNews website one of the top 7 per cent websites in mitigating carbon emissions.

Cleaner code and optimised image compression mean that the website’s sustainability has improved by at least 70 per cent.

Finally, new personalisation features allow global audience members to create their own PinkNews experience, from scalable design language and the news filter itself.

Chief product officer Sarah Watson said that she was “delighted” to reveal the new design, while adding that the goal was to “create an easily accessible, more inclusive space”.

“This is the first important step in bringing wider inclusivity to the PinkNews digital experience and we will continue to make positive changes to our offering based on reader feedback,” she added.