People across the political spectrum blindly rated the media bias of content from The Daily Wire, The Epoch Times, Forbes, The Hill, and Politico in AllSides' May 2022 Blind Bias Survey.
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. Read the white paper to review our methodology, or sign up to take part in the next survey.
Survey Results
On average, respondents across the political spectrum gave the following ratings:
- The Daily Wire: Right
- The Epoch Times: Lean Right
- Forbes: Lean Left (AllSides Media Bias Rating™ is Center)
- The Hill: Center
- Politico: Center (AllSides Media Bias Rating™ is Lean Left)
Forbes Rated Lean Left
Forbes's rating of Lean Left in the May 2022 AllSides Blind Bias Survey differed from AllSides' current rating of Center for the publication. The Blind Survey results triggered an Editorial Review, in which we decided to keep Forbes' AllSides Media Bias Rating as Center. Editorial Reviews allow us a multipartisan panel of experts to view a larger amount of content from the media outlet than Blind Surveys do.
The Hill Rated Center, Close to Lean Left
The Hill's rating of Center in the Blind Survey affirmed AllSides' current rating for the publication.
Politico Rated Center; AllSides Keeps Lean Left Rating
On average, people across the political spectrum rated Politico as Center in a May 2022 AllSides Blind Bias Survey. The rating, which differed from AllSides' rating of Lean Left at the time, triggered an Editorial Review, in which we opted to keep Politico's rating as Lean Left. Compared to Blind Bias Surveys, Editorial Reviews allow a multipartisan expert panel to see more content from the outlet taken over a longer period of time.
The Epoch Times Rated Lean Right
The Epoch Times' rating of Lean Right in the Blind Survey affirmed AllSides' current rating for the publication.
The Daily Wire Rated Right
The Daily Wire's rating of Right in the Blind Survey affirmed AllSides' current rating for the publication.
About The Survey
A total of 1,345 people across the political spectrum took the survey, including 178 respondents with a self-reported Left bias; 334 with a Lean Left bias; 402 with a Center bias; 349 with a Lean Right bias, and 82 with a Right bias.
Respondents self-reported party affiliation. 348 respondents were Democrats, 558 were Independents, 239 were Republicans, and 170 reported being “something else.”
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 12 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
For much more detail, please visit our white paper.
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.
