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Political Science: News Sources

News Media Bias: Left, Right and Center

Do your news sources lean left, or right?  Or are they more "fair and balanced" in their reporting?
 

In the boxes below, you will find lists and links to a selection of newspapers, news magazines, broadcast media, and other news resources that approach contemporary events from a variety of points of view.
There are also links to media watch groups that critique media outlets for their bias, fairness and accuracy.
The AllSides Bias Rating is listed for each news source. AllSides.com is one website which aims to reduce political bias by rating news organizations in terms of political bias and reliability.
Another website that does ratings like this is Ad Fontes Media, known for its Media Bias Chart which rates media sources in terms of political bias and reliability. 
 

Newspapers

The Guardian. (London, England)
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AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left
Chicago Tribune. (current)
Chicago Tribune. (historical) 
AllSides Bias Rating: Center
New York Post
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AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right (news)
AllSides Bias Rating:
RIGHT (opinion)
Los Angeles Times. (current)
Los Angeles Times. (historical)
​AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left
Christian Science Monitor
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AllSides Bias Rating: Center
Orange County Register.
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AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right
New York Times. (current)
New York Times. (historical)
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left (news)
AllSides Bias Rating: LEFT (opinion)
Seattle Times
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​AllSides Bias Rating: Center
The Telegraph. (London, England)
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AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right
San Francisco Chronicle. (current)
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San Francisco Chronicle. (historical)
AllSides Bias Rating: LEFT 
Wall Street Journal. (current) 
Wall Street Journal. (historical)
AllSides Bias Rating: Center (news) 
Wall Street Journal. (current) 
Wall Street Journal. (historical)
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right (opinion)
Washington Post. (current)
Washington Post. (historical)
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left
  Washington Times
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AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right

News Magazines & Journals

The American Prospect
AllSides Bias Rating: not rated 

Promotes liberal and progressive goals through reporting, analysis, and debate, with a prescriptive focus that distinguishes it from other publications.

Forbes
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

American magazine with articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, and law.

The American Conservative
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right 

Supports conservatism that favors fiscal responsibility, civil liberties, community (self-government and civil society), and a prudent foreign policy.

The Economist
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AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left

British weekly that aims to support an "extreme centre" point of view of free trade, globalization, free immigration, and cultural liberalism.

Foreign Affairs
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

American magazine that focuses on international relations and U.S. foreign policy, published by the Council on Foreign Relations.
 

The American Spectator
AllSides Bias Rating: Right

Online journal of ideas, concepts and policies that favor economic freedom, individual liberty, limited government, and traditional American values.

Mother Jones
AllSides Bias Rating: Left

American independent, nonprofit, progressive magazine of news, commentary, and investigative reporting on topics of politics and culture.

Foreign Policy
AllSides Bias Rating: Center 

American news journal focused on global affairs, current events, and domestic and international policy. 

National Review
AllSides Bias Rating: Right

A semi-monthly conservative magazine of news and commentary on political, social, and cultural affairs.

The Nation
AllSides Bias Rating: Left

Weekly journal of liberal and progressive political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis, founded by abolitionists in 1865.

   

New Republic
AllSides Bias Rating: Left

Founded in 1914 as a journal of opinion which seeks to champion progressive ideas and challenge popular opinion.

   

Broadcast Media

ABC News
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left
BBC News
AllSides Bias Rating: Center
Christian Broadcasting Network.(CBN) 
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right
CBS News
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left
C-SPAN
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

Fox News
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right (news)
AllSides Bias Rating: Right (opinion)

CNN
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left (news)
AllSides Bias Rating: Left (opinion)
National Public Radio. (news)
AllSides Bias Rating: Center
 
MSNBC
AllSides Bias Rating: Left
PBS NewsHour
AllSides Bias Rating: Center
 
NBC News
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left
   

 

Online News Sources

HuffPost
AllSide Bias Rating: Left 

Mostly liberal-leaning American news aggregator and blog founded in 2005 as an alternative to news aggregators like the Drudge Report. Formerly known as the Huffington Post.
 

Associated Press. (AP)
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

Independent, not-for-profit news cooperative. The AP is owned by its contributing news outlets in the U.S., all of which contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists.

TheBlaze
AllSides Bias Rating: Right

The Blaze is a conservative libertarian multi-platform news and entertainment network available online, on television, and on radio, founded by talk radio personality Glenn Beck. 

Politico.  
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left

Political journal that focuses on United States and international politics and policy. AllSides previously rated Politico as Center.

Cook Political Report.
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

Independent online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. 

Breitbart News
AllSides Bias Rating: Right

American far-right syndicated news, opinion and commentary website established in mid-2007 by Andrew Breitbart, its founder, to be the "Huffington Post of the Right."

Salon.com
AllSides Bias Rating: Left

Salon is a news and opinion website that covers politics, culture, and current events from a "provocative" politically liberal perspective.

FiveThirtyEight.  
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

Website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging. 

The Drudge Report
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Right 

A politically right-leaning, American news aggregator website linking to news stories from other outlets about politics, entertainment, and current events.

Slate Magazine
AllSides Bias Rating: Left

Slate is a general-interest online magazine offering analysis and commentary from a liberal perspective about politics, news, business, technology, and culture. 

RealClearPolitics.  
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

RealClearPolitics is a political news and polling data aggregator that provides news and opinion from a variety of sources, in addition to commentary from its own contributors. Although its own political views lean conservative, RealClearPolitics aims for ideological diversity in its commentary section.

RedState
AllSides Bias Rating: Right
Conservative news and opinion website that publishes content with a "borderline extreme right wing bias."

Media Watch Groups

Center for Media and Democracy. (CMD)
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left

A progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization with a focus on corporations and politicians.

Columbia Journalism Review. (CJR)
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

CJR monitors and supports the press as it works across all platforms, and also tracks the ongoing evolution of the media business.

Accuracy in Media. (AIM)
AllSides Bias Rating: Right 

American non-profit conservative news media watchdog founded in 1969 to expose media bias, corruption, and public policy failings. 

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting. (FAIR) 
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left

Media watch group that monitors the U.S. news media for "inaccuracy, bias, and censorship" and advocates for greater diversity of perspectives in news reporting. 

FactCheck.org 
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

A nonprofit website that aims to be a "consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics" from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Center for Media and Public Affairs. (CMPA) 
AllSides Bias Rating: not rated 

While it describes itself as "a nonpartisan research and educational organization," most of CMPA's funding comes from conservative sources.

Media Matters for America. (MMfA)
AllSides Bias Rating: Left

A left-leaning nonprofit organization with the stated mission of "comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media."

Pew Research Center
AllSides Bias Rating: Center

A nonpartisan fact tank focused on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Pew conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.

Media Research Center. (MRC)
AllSides Bias Rating: Right

A nonprofit media watchdog organization committed to "neutralizing [the] leftist bias in the news media and popular culture."

PolitiFact.org
AllSides Bias Rating: Lean Left

Fact-checking website focused on American politics that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others on its 'Truth-O-Meter.'

 

NewsBusters
AllSides Bias Rating: Right

A conservative content analysis organization with a mission is to "expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media.