Ad Fontes Media

Cases of measles have now been reported in 10 states. Many parents and health experts are expressing panic and concern while others are downplaying the outbreak or believe it's all a hoax. Our analysts examined media coverage of both sides of the issue in our Topic of the Week. https://lnkd.in/gMhbQDUe

If there's one common element in the news of the day, it's politics. Whether the top headlines are about the actions taken by DOGE, the Trump administration's negotiations with Ukraine and Russia, or the economic effects of tariffs, the reporting often crosses into political reaction and debate. With that in mind, we're releasing our list of Top 10 Political Podcasts. These national podcasts have been rated by our analyst team to be minimally?biased and?fact-based. The list is limited to podcasts that focus on politics — not general news podcasts that often include topics related to politics. Is your favorite political?podcast not on the list? Search for it on the interactive?Media Bias Chart on the website and see where it?falls. Remember: Sources that fall within the green box (in the top middle of the chart) are recommended by our analysts.?

Kash Patel was recently voted in as the director of the FBI, and almost everyone, it seemed, had opinions about it. Our analysts rated content from across the political?spectrum about Patel's appointment in our Topic of the Week. The most balanced and factful coverage of our content set came from articles by The Independent and New Delhi Television. Both were given a bias rating of "middle/balanced" and a reliability rating of "mix of fact reporting and analysis." The article on the New Delhi Television website?focuses on Patel's family roots in India while The Independent looks at his financial connection to the Chinese fashion?brand Shein. Videos from the Trish Regan and Bulwark YouTube channels were rated as "opinion" by our analysts. In her video, Regan shows clips of Sen. Adam Schiff speaking out against Patel and accuses Schiff of corruption himself. The video was given a bias rating of "hyper-partisan right." In the Bulwark video, the hosts?discuss why they think Patel's appointment will lead to a "purge" of credible employees of the agency, which could now focus its investigations on Democrats. Analysts found that the video had a "strong left" bias. An article from Wonkette was rated slightly lower than the Bulwark video, falling into the "selective or incomplete/unfair persuasion" category of reliability with a "hyper-partisan left" bias. The article calls Patel a "weird con man" and a "laughably unqualified goon." The lowest-rated reporting from our content set came from the Washington Times. The opinion article supports Patel's nomination to head the FBI and criticizes the agency's previous investigations, including those of Donald Trump. Our analysts found that the article "contains missing info" and has a "hyper-partisan right" bias. Let us know what you think! Do you agree with our ratings? The articles and videos are linked on the Topic of the Week page of the website.?https://lnkd.in/eYgqqjxi

Our analyst team has watched and analyzed more than 4,400 pieces of content to create the February edition of the Media Bias Chart? for TV/video. This includes TV show episodes, YouTube and Rumble videos, and documentaries. The newest documentaries, added this month, are 2000 Mules and All In: The Fight for Democracy. You’ll find All In near the center left portion of the chart, as it was found to be analysis with a hyper-partisan left bias. 2000 Mules, which has reportedly been viewed by more than 1 million people, is on the bottom right portion of the chart, as our analysts found it to contain inaccurate information and have a hyper-partisan right bias. The film, which alleges voter fraud during the 2020 election, was in the news again somewhat recently when the producer and writer, activist Dinesh D’Souza, admitted that some of the claims in the film were false after a lawsuit was filed by one of the people depicted in the film. You can also find two other documentaries we’ve analyzed on this month’s chart: HBO’s Stopping the Steal (top left) and Am I Racist? (center right). We’ve now rated a total of 11 documentaries about current events and politics. Read about how these ratings are different than other TV/video content on the chart here. The Media Bias Chart? is divided into different colored sections: sources in the green box (top middle) of the chart are recommended by our team to provide minimally biased and reliable, fact-based information. You’ll find 14 sources within the green “recommended” box on the February edition of the TV/Video Media Bias Chart?, including three that are included on the chart for the first time: - C-SPAN Live Stream - CBC: The Fifth Estate - CBS: CBS News Mornings - CNN: CNN News Central (7am-10am ET) - CNN: Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju - EWTN: EWTN News In Depth - Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream - Merit Street Media: Morning on Merit Street - NBC News NOW: Stay Tuned Now with Gadi Schwartz – new! - NewsNation: NewsNation Now Weekend with Anna Kooiman – new! - NewsNation: NewsNation Now With Nichole Berlie - PBS: Firing Line with Margaret Hoover - PBS: Washington Week With The Atlantic - WION (YouTube) – new! https://lnkd.in/g5FWEUTR

President?Trump has begun the process to dismantle?parts or all of the Department of Education, and the decision has received both criticism and praise from across the political spectrum. Our analysts took a closer look at four articles and two videos published by the media in our?Topic of the Week. The most balanced and factful coverage from our content set came from articles from CNBC and Business Insider. Both explain the plan to dismantle the department and how it would affect colleges, schools and federal student loans. Our analysts gave both articles a bias rating of "middle/balanced" and a reliability score of "mix of fact reporting and analysis." An article from the Mother Jones website scored slightly lower. The reporting focuses on Linda McMahon, Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, and her comments during a confirmation hearing. Analysts found the article to be an analysis with a "skews left" bias rating. A video from the Vaush YouTube channel and an article from USA Today received converse bias ratings from our analyst team. Both were placed in the opinion category of reliability. In the video, the host responds to viewer comments and speculates about why the Trump administration wants to close the department. It received a bias rating of "skews left." The USA Today article is an opinion piece that includes an interview?with Betsy DeVos, Trump's Secretary of Education during his first presidential?term. DeVos explains why she agrees with the decision to close the department. The article received a bias rating of "skews right." The lowest-rated coverage from our content set this week came from a video from the Decoy Voice YouTube channel. The host shows footage of members of Congress trying to access the Department of Education building and being turned away. He implies that the Democrats, whom he calls "imbeciles," are worried about Elon Musk's audit of the department because it?will uncover their own corruption. Our analysts gave the video a bias rating of "hyper-partisan right" and a reliability rating of "selective or incomplete/unfair persuasion." Want to see if you agree with our ratings? Watch the videos and read the articles yourself on the Topic of the Week page of the website.?https://lnkd.in/eYgqqjxi

Like to Listen to the News Rather Than Read It? This Chart is for You. Ten ‘recommended’ podcasts featured on February Media Bias Chart The February version of the Podcast/Audio Media Bias Chart? includes?50?of the more than?775?podcasts our analyst team has rated. If you prefer to listen to the news rather than read it, this chart is for you. The chart is divided into different colored sections, and as we?explained last month, the sources in the green box (top middle) of the chart are recommended by our team to provide minimally biased and reliable, fact-based information. You’ll find?10?sources within the green “recommended” box on the February edition of the Podcast/Audio Media Bias Chart?, including two that are featured on the chart for the first time. This is only a sample of the 775 podcasts we’ve rated (that’s more than 3,100 episodes!). More podcasts fall within the green box, and we’ll feature those on charts in the future. - Amarica’s Constitution – new! - Conversations with Tyler - Diane Rehm: On My Mind - NPR: Morning Edition - Pekingology - The Editors - The Pour Over Today - Thirst Gap: Learning to live with less on the Colorado River - WSJ: Minute Briefing – new! - WSJ: The Journal. We choose a selection of podcasts to include on each month’s?static media bias chart?because it’s impossible to show all of them in one image (see the list of all 50 shows on the February chart?here). In order to make the logos as large and readable as possible, we have magnified the chart and removed portions around the edges that contain no sources. In addition to Amarica’s Constitution and WSJ: Minute Briefing, four podcasts are included on the chart this month for the first time:? - Conversations With Coleman - Culture Gabfest - The Derek Hunter Podcast - The Thom Hartmann Program Don’t see your favorite podcast on the February chart? You can look up ratings on all sources we’ve analyzed and create custom chart images using our free mobile app available for?Apple?and?Android. You also can access the free version of the?interactive chart?on the website, which allows access to data on 250 of our top sources. Daily search limits apply. For expanded access, please consider a?News Nerd subscription, which gives you the ability to search all sources we’ve rated and provides many additional benefits. https://lnkd.in/gf-q3Ciy

The Trump administration last week launched efforts to freeze foreign aid and cut the U.S. Agency for International Development?(USAID). The moves received both criticism and praise from across the political spectrum. Our analyst team took a closer look at media coverage of the controversy in our Topic of the Week. The most balanced and fact-based coverage from our content set came from Pew Research Center. Their article was formatted as a Q&A, providing answers to basic questions about U.S.?foreign aid. Our analysts found no bias in the article and placed it in the high reliability category of "thorough fact reporting or fact dense analysis." An article from Reuters also scored highly, in the "mix of fact reporting and analysis" section of reliability and "skews left" section of bias. The story focused on the USAID staff cuts and the expected consequences from the overhaul of the agency. A video from the Fox News show "Outnumbered" and an article from National Review were found to be "analysis" with a "skews right" bias. The video includes a panel of Fox News guests who discuss various USAID funding programs that they consider wasteful. The National Review reporting also focuses on what it calls "wasteful, ideologically driven spending" by the agency. An article from The Atlantic was also considered to be "analysis." It examines how the measures taken by the Trump administration are even stronger than those suggested by Project 2025. Our analysts gave this article a bias rating of "skews left." The lowest-rated reporting from our content set this week came from "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. In the video, Maddow shares how Trump's decision?to dismantle USAID has received backlash from across the?U.S. The video was placed on the line between "analysis" and "opinion," with a "strong left" bias rating.

The News is Fast and Furious; Make Sure You Get it From a Reliable Source. Since the presidential inauguration last month, there’s been a daily barrage of “breaking news” about government, politics, natural disasters, sports and more. It can feel overwhelming at times, but it’s important to keep informed, and it’s vital that you get that information from a reliable source. Today we’re releasing the February version of the Web/Print Media Bias Chart?, which?includes?132?of the more than?2,600?websites our analyst team has rated. This chart features the websites of local, national and international news outlets (watch for our charts featuring podcast and TV/video sources later this month). The chart is divided into different colored sections, and as we?explained last month, the sources in the green box (top middle) of the chart are recommended by our team to provide minimally biased and reliable, fact-based information. Here’s a list of all sources that fall within the green box on this chart. Remember: This is a sample of the 2,600 online sources we’ve rated. More websites fall within the green box, and we’ll feature those on charts in the future. ABC News (website) ABC15 Arizona KNXV AP BBC Boston Herald Breaking Defense CBS News (website) Christianity Today CNN (website) Courthouse News Service CTech Deseret News Fortune FOX 11 LA KTTV Fox Business (website) Inside Climate News Investor’s Business Daily LAist Live Science NBC News (website) news .com. au Newsweek Patch Pew Research Center ProPublica Quillette RealClearWorld Reason Reuters Stars and Stripes Straight Arrow News Tangle The Appeal The Atlantic The Guardian The Hill The Media Line The New York Times The Press-Enterprise | Riverside County The Reload Times Union Univision News USAFacts Vox Wall Street Journal Washington Post WIRED World News Group Yahoo News https://lnkd.in/gGf-VYGb

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An Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle jet collided midair near Reagan Washington National Airport on?Jan. 29, causing both to crash into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. There were no survivors. As with all breaking news, reporting on the incident was heavy over the next few days as details about the crash were released. Our analysts examined four articles and two videos about the crash in our Topic of the Week. The most balanced and factful coverage from our set came from articles from the ESPN and NBC News websites. Both were placed exactly in the middle of the Media Bias Chart, indicating a bias score of 0. And both articles were found to be a "mix of fact reporting and analysis or simple fact reporting." The NBC News report gives an overview of the facts of the plane crash and the investigation into it. The ESPN article focuses on the 14 members of the U.S. figure skating community who were passengers on the airplane. These included skaters, parents and coaches. Articles from NewsBreak and The Mary Sue were found to be analysis and opinion rather than fact-based reporting. NewsBreak published an article from the New York Post that focuses on President Trump's news conference following the plane crash at which he blamed policies of Presidents?Obama and Biden for the crash. Our analysts considered the reporting to be analysis, with a bias rating of "skews right." The Mary Sue article, meanwhile, blames President Trump for his "reckless" decisions to fire the heads of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and gut the Aviation Safety Advisory prior to the crash. Our analysts found the reporting to be opinion, with a "strong left" bias. The lowest-rated coverage from our set came from TV and YouTube. A video on the I've Had It YouTube channel (IHIP News) strongly blames Trump for the crash because of his administrative?cuts related to aviation safety prior to the crash. The video was found to be "selective or incomplete/unfair persuasion" with a "strong left" bias. A video clip from Fox News' "Hannity" show was found to be "misleading" with a "strong right" bias. Hannity cites longtime air safety concerns and blames DEI policies during the Obama and Biden administrations for the crash. Want to see if you agree with our ratings? Watch the videos and read the articles yourself on the Topic of the Week page of the website.?https://lnkd.in/gMhbQDUe