Ad Fontes Media

President Trump purchased a Tesla vehicle from Elon Musk last week during a publicity event on the White House lawn. Political reaction to the event was swift, and our analysts took a closer look at reporting from across the political spectrum in our Topic of the Week. The most balanced and fact-based coverage from among our content set came from Politico. Its article focuses on social media posts made by the president about his plans to buy a vehicle as a way to show support for Elon Musk. Analysts gave the article a "middle/balanced" bias rating and a reliability rating of "simple fact reporting." An article from the NBC News website scored slightly lower, in the "analysis" section for reliability and "skews left" section for bias. The writer described the scene at the White House and called the event a "conspicuous favor" to Musk. The Benny Johnson YouTube channel published a video that blames the "libs" for committing violence without consequences during Trump's previous presidential term, and the host says they're now picketing Tesla companies and vandalizing vehicles in acts of "political vengeance" against Musk. The video received a bias rating of "strong right" and a reliability rating of "opinion." A video from the Meidas Touch YouTube channel calls the White House event a "disaster presser" and accuses "pathetic" Trump of crashing the markets and harming average Americans while he lavishly buys a car to benefit his wealthy campaign donor. Analysts gave the video a bias rating of "hyper-partisan left" and found it to be "selective or incomplete/unfair persuasion." An article from The Patriot Brief was placed in the low end of the?"selective or incomplete/unfair persuasion" category of reliability. The article accuses George Soros of helping to fund coordinated protests against Tesla, describing the five "radical groups" behind the attacks. Analysts found the article to have a "hyper-partisan right" bias. The lowest-rated reporting from our content set came from Crooks and Liars. The article accuses Trump of "destroying the livelihoods" of Americans and describes Musk as an "illegal?immigrant" who lied on his citizenship application. The article was found to contain "inaccurate/fabricated info," with a "hyper-partisan left" bias. https://lnkd.in/gMhbQDUe

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Fewer Than Half of Podcasts Rated by Ad Fontes Media are Recommended. The Ad Fontes Media team has now rated more than 3,100 episodes from a variety of podcasts, and based on that data, it has placed only 42% of podcasts within the “recommended” section of the Media Bias Chart?. Sources in the green box (top middle) of the chart are recommended by our team to provide minimally biased and reliable, fact-based information. Analysts assign bias and reliability ratings for each podcast episode they rate. A weighted average of those scores determines where that particular podcast is placed on the Media Bias Chart?. (Read more about how our analysts rate content?on the website). The March version of the Podcast/Audio Media Bias Chart? released today includes?50?of the more than?775?podcasts our analyst team has rated. You’ll find?11?sources within the green “recommended” box, including two that are featured on the chart for the first time. This is only a sample of the podcasts we’ve rated. More podcasts fall within the green box, and we’ll feature those on charts in the future. - Amarica’s Constitution - CNN Political Briefing – new! - Conversations with Tyler - Daily Tech Headlines – new! - Open to Debate - Start Here - The Janice Dean Podcast - The Pour Over Today - The World and Everything In It - WSJ: Minute Briefing - 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 March chart?here). In order to make the logos as large and as readable as possible, we have magnified a portion of the chart and removed portions around the edges that contain no sources. In addition to CNN Political Briefing and Daily Tech Headlines, four podcasts are included on the chart this month for the first time: - Fallacious Trump - FOX Across America with Jimmy Failla - The Independent with Scott Atlas - The Telepathy Tapes https://lnkd.in/gYbvw-3Q

Texas Rep. Al Green, a Democrat, was censured by the U.S. House of Representatives last week for interrupting and then being removed from the House during President Trump's address to Congress. Our analysts reviewed four articles and two videos about the censure vote in our Topic of the Week. The two videos were among the lowest-rated content scored by our team (this is not unusual). ABC's "The View" covered the story by playing clips from Trump's speech and Green's censure vote in the House, followed by a panel of co-hosts debating whether the vote was fair and if Democrats have a united voice in opposing Trump's actions. Our analysts rated the video with a "strong left" bias and considered it to be opinion. Similarly, Fox News' "Outnumbered" also showed a clip of the censure vote, followed by a panel of people reacting to Green's and other Democrats' behavior during Trump's speech and discussing how elected Democrats in general are disrespectful of the current administration. The show also played a clip from "The View" as part of their debate. Our analysts gave the video?a bias rating of "hyper-partisan right" and a reliability rating of "selective or incomplete/unfair persuasion." What do these two videos have in common? They are typical examples of many TV programs that cover the news. The facts about the censure vote were presented in only?a couple of minutes, and?the rest of the time was filled with various opinions being shared by the hosts and guests. On the Media Bias Chart, we rate fact-based reporting higher for reliability. The fewer the facts in a story/video/podcast, the lower it will be rated for reliability. Articles from Global News and Politico were full of facts, and both were placed within the green "recommended" box on the Media Bias Chart. Both articles were found to be "mix of fact reporting and analysis or simple fact reporting," with "middle/balanced" bias. An article from Common Dreams fell into the same category of reliability but was found to have a "strong left" bias. Finally, an article from RedState received an identical bias rating as the Fox News video (hyper-partisan right) but scored a bit higher for reliability, in the "opinion" category. https://lnkd.in/gMhbQDUe

For the past five+ years, analysts at Ad Fontes Media have fully rated thousands of news sources from various platforms — TV/video, podcasts and websites. One thing has become apparent: Overall, content from web/print sources is more reliable and less biased than content from other media platforms. How do we know? We’ve analyzed tens of thousands of individual content pieces — online articles, YouTube videos, podcast and TV episodes — and the weighted average of all content from a particular source determines where that source is placed on the Media Bias Chart?.?(Read more about how we rate sources?here). The chart itself is divided into different colored sections (for a complete explanation of the various sections, read?this). 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. More than?2,700?fully rated sources fall within the green box; we call these our “recommended” sources. Of these recommended sources,?75% are web/print; 12% are podcasts; 13% are TV/video.? Of course, there are good and bad sources of information from every media platform. But we’ve compiled solid evidence that web/print sources should be the most trusted overall. Of the 2,600 web/print sources we’ve rated,?79%?of them fall within the green box.? Today we’re releasing the March version of the Web/Print Media Bias Chart?, which?includes?134?of the?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). Here’s a list of all sources that fall within the green box on this chart. Remember: More than 2,000 web/print sources fall within the green box; this month’s chart includes only 48 of them: ABC News (website) ABC15 Arizona KNXV AP AZ Mirror BBC Boston Herald CBS News (website) Christianity Today CNN (website) CTech Deseret News FOX 8 Cleveland WJW – new! Fox Business (website) IndyStar Inside Climate News Investor’s Business Daily LAist NBC News (website) Newsweek Pahrump Valley Times – new! Patch Pew Research Center ProPublica Puck News – new! Quillette RealClearWorld Reason Reuters Straight Arrow News Tangle The Atlantic The Guardian The Hill The Media Line The New Atlantis – new! The New York Times The Press-Enterprise | Riverside County The Reload The Sacramento Bee – new! Times Union Univision News USAFacts Vox Wall Street Journal Washington Post WIRED World News Group Yahoo News https://lnkd.in/gbjna8U5

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