AllSides conducted research into the perceived bias of five major media outlets in June 2023. CNN, NewsNation and Fox News appear on the AllSides Media Bias Chart™.
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
Straight Arrow News Rated Center, Achieves AllSides Balance Certification™
Straight Arrow News' bias was rated Center (+0.05) in the blind survey.
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center and Lean Right rated Straight Arrow News as Center. Respondents who rated their own bias as Right gave a rating of Lean Right. On average, Democrats, Independents and Republicans rated SAN as Center.
A May/June 2023 Editorial Review by AllSides' expert, multipartisan panel also returned a rating of Center for SAN's written and video news content, which qualified the outlet for the AllSides Balance Certification™. The AllSides Balance Certification™ is awarded to media outlets that have undergone a robust, independent AllSides Media Bias Audit™ and have met our strict criteria for balance. Read a full breakdown of the results here.
CNN Rated Center
CNN's bias was rated Center (-0.09). Earlier this year, CNN's AllSides Media Bias Rating™ was moved from Left to Lean Left following two Editorial Reviews and the February 2023 Blind Bias Survey. The results of the June 2023 Blind Bias Survey confirmed CNN is drifting away from farthest Left; AllSides has opted to keep the rating as Lean Left.
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center and Lean Right rated CNN as Center. Respondents who rated their own bias as Right rated CNN as Lean Right. On average, Democrats, Independents and Republicans rated CNN as Center.
The Messenger Rated Center
The Messenger's bias was rated Center (+0.70). This result confirms a May 2023 Independent Review, which also returned a rating of Center for The Messenger.
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center and Lean Right rated The Messenger as Center. Respondents who rated their own bias as Right rated The Messenger as Lean Right. On average, Democrats and Republicans rated The Messenger as Center, while Independents gave a rating of Lean Right.
NewsNation Rated Center
NewsNation's bias was rated Center (+0.88).
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center and Lean Right rated NewsNation as Center. Respondents who rated their own bias as Right rated NewsNation as Lean Right. On average, Democrats, Independents and Republicans rated NewsNation as Center.
Fox News Rated Right
Fox News' bias was rated Right (+3.10). This confirmed the results of the February 2023 Blind Bias Survey in which respondents rated Fox News as Right, though on the border of Lean Right.
Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left and Right rated Fox News as Right. Respondents who rated their own bias as Center or Lean Right rated Fox News as Lean Right. On average, Democrats and Independents rated Fox News as Right while Republicans gave a rating of Lean Right.
About The Survey
A total of 698 people across the political spectrum took the survey, including 101 respondents with a self-reported Left bias; 163 with a Lean Left bias; 178 with a Center bias; 190 with a Lean Right bias, and 66 with a Right bias.
Respondents self-reported party affiliation. 203 respondents were Democrats, 243 were Independents, 177 were Republicans, and 75 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 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.
