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Methodology
The Ground News Bias and Factuality ratings are based on the average rating of three independent news monitoring organizations: All Sides, Ad Fontes Media, and Media Bias Fact Check. Each news monitoring organization has their own methodology - including editorial reviews, blind bias surveys, independent reviews, and third party research. We use a combination of these ratings to offer the most comprehensive analysis. You might come across a news publication that has not been rated by one or two of these organizations, in which case we take an average of the ratings available. Some news organizations don’t have any ratings, and therefore aren’t included in the Bias Distribution chart. These ratings are updated on an ongoing basis.
Bias RatingThe bias rating displayed on each news source is an assessment of the political bias of that news publication. The rating takes into consideration things like wording, story choices and political affiliation. This score does not measure the bias of specific news articles. The analysis is done at the publication level.
Bias Distribution
Far Left
These publications tend to reflect the policy positions of the most extreme left-leaning party members. They are strongly biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They use strong wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or stereotypes. They may publish misleading reports or leave out information that could damage liberal causes.Left
These publications tend to reflect the current positions held by leaders of left-leaning parties. They are moderately biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may use loaded words, publish misleading reports or leave out information that doesn’t support liberal causes.Lean Left
These publications have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information, but still may use loaded words that favor liberal causes. Center
These publications have no discernable political position. They use very few loaded words and the reporting is well sourced. On a given issue, they present a relatively complete survey of key competing positions. This rating does not necessarily represent “balance” or “neutrality.” A Center rating does not imply that the position is best or most valid.Lean Right
These publications are slightly to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information, but still may use loaded words that favor conservative causes.Right
These publications tend to reflect the current positions held by leaders of right-leaning parties. They are moderately biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may publish misleading reports or leave out information that doesn’t support conservative causes.Far Right
These publications tend to reflect the policy positions of the most extreme right-leaning party members. They are strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They use strong wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or stereotypes. They may use loaded words, publish misleading reports or leave out information that could damage conservative causes.Factuality ScoreThe factuality score displayed on each news source is an assessment of the reporting practices of a news publication. The score takes into consideration things like the credibility of sources used, the speed at which corrections are made, and whether the language retains context. This score does not measure the factuality of specific news articles. The analysis is done at the publication level.
Factuality
Low
These publications rarely use credible sources and tend to leave out an important part of the story, causing the information to be misleading or downright false. They are unlikely to disclose either a mission statement or ownership information.Mixed
These publications do not always use proper sourcing or may get their information from other mixed factuality sources. They may use loaded language that alters the context of facts and fail to correct false or misleading information.High
These publications use original reporting that is subsequently corroborated by additional sources. They make immediate corrections to incorrect information and use reasonable language that retains context.See the BreakdownTo see the breakdown of bias ratings, go to the profile page of the news publisher in Ground News. This can be accessed via the Search feature or by tapping and holding the news source icon while swiping through articles. 
Sort Articles by Bias or FactualityGround News offers subscribers the ability to sort news articles by the bias rating or factuality score of the publications reporting on the issue.
Sort Articles by Bias or FactualityGround News offers subscribers the ability to sort news articles by the bias rating or factuality score of the publications reporting on the issue.
Change a Bias RatingThe bias ratings are important because they allow readers to quickly see the general distribution of coverage, but they’re not set in stone. Readers who disagree with a particular bias rating can adjust it in the app. What’s more, the rating of a source can change over time in light of updated information.
Ownership CategoriesThe ownership categories for each news source were created by Ground News. We researched, analyzed and hand-coded ownership data for 2,276 news outlets and counting. Below are the general parameters for each category. You can learn more about our news ownership investigation here.
Media Conglomerates
A collection of radio, television, print and other news sources owned by the same entity, typically formed through a series of mergers and acquisitions. Our definition includes any entity that owns a large majority of news outlets. Although typically large and national, we have included smaller companies that own a significant number of outlets in a geographical area.Private Equity
Media outlets that have been purchased by private equity funds, either through a leveraged buyout of the news property or the buyout of its owner. Private equity funds in the media space typically roll up several news properties in order to cut costs while increasing profit margins. They are often accused of pushing profits over news quality.Wealthy Private Owners
Individuals with a net worth in the tens of millions or greater who have a significant stake in a media outlet. Everyone in this category built their wealth outside of the media landscape and used it to buy news assets.Government
Primarily government-funded news sources which may be independently managed or explicitly used for issuing government approved media.Telecom
Primarily connectivity providers that own phone, TV, internet or wireless mobility. Companies in this category have started vertically integrating to buy or create their own media assets, therefore owning both the infrastructure and content that you consume.Independent
Media that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. These outlets are not owned by any of our other classifications. Given the complexity of corporate cross-holdings and shell companies, any ownership stake greater than the publicized 5% cut-off was considered as ‘influence on the news source.Other
Sources that we could not appropriately classify or that do not fall under one of the existing categories.
