AllSides conducted research into the perceived bias of BBC, Reuters, CNN, Fox News, and The New York Post in April 2024.
During an AllSides Blind Bias Survey, participants from all sides of the political spectrum are asked to rate the content of a media outlet blindly, so they are not influenced by preconceived notions of a brand's bias. Sign up to take part in the next survey.
Survey Results
BBC Rated Lean Left
BBC's bias was rated Lean Left. (-1.62)
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center, Lean Right, or Right, all rated BBC as Lean Left, on average. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents rated BBC as Lean Left.
Reuters Rated Lean Left
Reuters' bias was rated Lean Left. (-1.61)
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Center, Lean Right, or Right, rated Reuters as Lean Left, on average; respondents with a Lean Left bias rated Reuters as Center, on average. Republicans and Independents rated Reuters as Lean Left; Democrats rated Reuters as Center.
CNN Rated Lean Left
CNN's bias was rated Lean Left. (-1.39)
Respondents who rated their own bias as Center, Lean Right, or Right, rated CNN as Lean Left, on average; respondents with a Left or Lean Left bias rated CNN as Center, on average. Republicans and Independents rated CNN as Lean Left; Democrats rated CNN as Center.
Fox News Rated Lean Right
Fox News' bias was rated Lean Right. (1.91)
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Center, Lean Right, or Right, rated Fox News as Lean Right, on average; respondents with a Lean Left bias rated Fox News as Right, on average. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents rated Fox News as Lean Right.
The New York Post Rated Right
The New York Post's bias was rated Right. (3.55)
Respondents who rated their own bias as Center, Lean Left, or Left, rated The New York Post as Right, on average; respondents with a Right or Lean Right bias rated the New York Post as Lean Right, on average. Democrats and Independents rated The New York Post as Right; Republicans rated The New York Post as Lean Right.
About The Survey
A total of 586 people across the political spectrum took the survey. Each survey participant was asked to self-report their personal political bias – 68 participants with a self-reported Left bias; 131 with a Lean Left bias; 178 with a Center bias; 171 with a Lean Right bias, and 38 with a Right bias took the survey. These responses were normalized so that unequal sizes of these groups would not skew the final results in favor of one bias group over another.
Results are not assessed by majority rule; we calculate pluralities and averages, both within respondent groups and across all respondent groups, to arrive at final determinations.
For this survey, AllSides collected 10 pieces of content from media outlets: top headlines taken on two different days at the same time of day, and top stories the outlet ran around two major national news stories. Stories and headlines were stripped of branding and any information that would allow participants to identify the outlet. Participants were asked to rate the bias of the source on a scale of Left, Lean Left, Center, Lean Right, and Right.
Results are represented on a scale of -9 to +9, with 0 representing dead Center, -9 representing Left and +9 representing Right:
Left: -9.00 to -3.00
Lean Left: -2.99 to -1.00
Center: -0.99 to +0.99
Lean Right: +1.00 to +2.99
Right: +3.00 to +9.00
Note About Blind Bias Surveys
Blind surveys are robust, but do have limitations. They alone do not always determine our ratings. These surveys ask respondents to assess a relatively small snapshot of the source's content in time. The surveys don't include photos, content published over a long period of time, or other crucial elements for determining bias. Therefore, we often use blind survey data in conjunction with other methods to arrive at a final bias rating, such as Editorial Reviews, third party data and independent reviews by AllSides reviewers.
AllSides uses multiple methods for calculating media bias ratings.
Our Blind Bias Survey, described in the graphic below, represents one of our most robust media bias rating methods, but it is not the only method we use. A source might openly share its bias, or it may be determined by third party research, an independent review, or an Editorial Review. Take a look at the multiple methods AllSides uses to measure and rate media bias.
