Allsides.com is a media bias rating service of online content only. It uses multipartisan, scientific analysis to rate bias. It does not rate TV, print, or radio content. The ratings reflect perspective only, not accuracy. It offers instruction on the difference between objective facts and subjective claims, using actual news articles as examples.
Media Bias Chart by Ad Fontes (Latin for “to the source”). It ranks web, podcast and TV content. According to Ad Fontes’ website, they “use a rigorous, reproducible methodology – and a politically balanced team of analysts to rate content, both for bias and for reliability.”
Fact Checkers: Snopes, Politifact, FactCheck.org, Reuters, BBC Reality Check, Poynter
Are mainstream media to be “trusted” or not? Even though biased reporting exists, there is an editorial board, and they adhere to the journalistic standards. This means both sides of an issue are usually presented. Fact and opinion are more delineated. An article can be accurate but still subjected to the writer’s perspective. That is why it is wise to consult a variety of news sources. If you find the same facts appearing in many articles, you can be surer of their accuracy.
What is the Associated Press? It is an American non-profit cooperative news media company. It is owned by the newspapers, radio, and television stations that carry its stories. It covers news from around the world.
What is the BBC? This is the British Broadcasting Corporation. From their About page: “All our journalism strives to be impartial, fair and accurate. Our strength is in the depth of knowledge in our journalism, the quality of analysis and range of subjects, original first hand reporting and investigations from around the world.”
What is CNN? From Britannica: CNN began in 1980 with a goal of providing 24-hour global breaking news. CNN chose the slogan “Go live, stay with it and make it important.” It became famous for its continuous coverage of the Persian Gulf War. MSNBC, CNBC, and Fox News Channel would follow. To fill the time, many journalists turned to scandals and other gossip stories, effectively degrading the quality of American journalism in many scholars’ opinions. It rates as liberal in allsides.com
What is The Dispatch? From their About page: “We are a digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary on politics, policy and culture—informed by conservative principles. We deliver that work in newsletters, articles, and podcasts.” The two founders, Steve Hayes (Weekly Standard) and Jonah Goldberg (National Review) were content providers for Fox News until it became in their minds, too toxic.
What is Fox News? From Britannica: Fox News launched in 1996 with the slogan “Fair and Balanced”. They hosted liberal and conservative guests. By 2002 Fox had strong ties to the Republican Party and in 2010 donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association. They split into 2 divisions: news and opinion. The news part remained fair and balanced. The opinion shows were dominated by conservative pundits. Around 2016 Fox dropped its “fair and balanced” slogan in favor of “most watched, most trusted.” Shepard Smith, the anchor for the news division since 1996 was derided by Tucker Carlson and angered Trump for expressing views contrary to his own. So, he resigned. My observation: the conservative opinion talk show hosts have taken over almost all of Fox programming. The Fox News Channel is now rated furthest right and for reliability is categorized as opinion by Ad Fontes’ Media Bias Chart.com.
What is Reuters? From “About Reuters” page: “Founded in 1851, Reuters has remained true to the Trust Principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias, working relentlessly to bring news from the source and from every corner of the world.” It has a fact checking department within its editorial department.
Where do people get their news?
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/12/more-than-eight-in-ten-americans-get-news-from-digital-devices/
This poll shows many people use social media for their news. A few facts about social media: their only goal is to make money. The built-in algorithms are designed to maximize attention which leads to profits. They are not meant to be conveyors of truth.