Here's an optimistic plea I saw on MyLondon, the exaggerative clickbait portal.
Google now offers an option to make certain websites appear more often in your search results. A lot of news portals are very keen on it. The Evening Standard puts a graphic above its articles. My local newspaper pleads for preferential online treatment. Secret London reckons it "should be your first choice". Even the BBC has a page explaining how you can make its news pop up more frequently.
This makes sense if you want to see more of what you prefer. It makes sense if there are news sources you wish Google would hide less often. But it also risks biasing your search into more of a bubble, perhaps counteracting the fact Google is trying to bias it differently.
You might choose to make use of this feature or you might not. But I can't imagine how gullible you'd need to be to add MyLondon as one of your Preferred Sources.
Here are 15 'news' articles that have appeared on MyLondon over the last week, along with a spoiler as to what it's really about.
• London's 'most historic' church that survived plague, fire and bombs faces new threat: parking charges [St Brides, now on Sundays]
• Tiny museum less than two hours from London named the best in the UK [the Micro Museum in Ramsgate, chosen by Time Out]
• I had three-course meal at Savoy Grill and was shocked when bill arrived' [a YouTuber was charged £158.50 per person]
• 'I've shopped at 1000 supermarkets in 150 countries - 2 British staples were in every one' [Twinings and Nescafe, not actually in every one]
• The 3 London stations with same name that must be nightmare for tourists [they're Canary Wharf, Canary Wharf and Canary Wharf]
• London could get Eurostar services to 3 new European destinations [Zurich, Basel and Geneva, 'sometime in the course of the 2030s']
• Wellbeing event to be held on hill for Summer Solstice [it's up Ivinghoe Beacon, 15 miles from London]
• London cafe with 'one of best breakfasts in the world' hasn't been changed since 1940s [says exaggerative influencer about the Regency Cafe]
• Pilot names European city that's 'the most beautiful place to land' [it's Barcelona, should anyone care]
• The underrated commuter town under hour from London with 'excellent trains' [it's Haddenham on Chiltern]
• Major travel update issued for Brits flying from Gatwick Airport this summer [two extra Gatwick Express trains will run around 4am]
• Pretty seaside town 90 minutes away with UK's 'best coastline loved by stressed Londoners' [Margate, according to a local councillor]
• Surprising appliance can help keep bedroom cool at night during heatwave – not a fan [it's a dehumidifier]
• Aldi announces 16 new supermarkets opening across the UK including 4 in London - full list [Hoxton, Orpington, Marble Arch and (ahem) Watford]
• Beloved theme park closed forever after rollercoaster tragedy killed 5 children - now off limits [Battersea Park Funfair, closed 1977]
