Rating the Bias of The Hill, The Free Press, National Review, Politico, and Associated Press: October 2024

AllSides conducted research into the perceived bias of The Hill, The Free Press, National Review, Politico, and Associated Press in October 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.

The Hill Rated Lean Left

The Hill was rated Lean Left (-1.68).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left or Lean Left rated The Hill as Center, on average. Those who rated their own bias Center or Lean Right rated The Hill as Lean Left, on average, while those who rated their own bias Right rated The Hill Left. Republicans, and Independents rated The Hill as Lean Left; Democrats rated The Hill as Center. A total of 647 respondents rated the bias.

The Free Press Rated Lean Left

The Free Press was rated Lean Left (-1.61).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left or Lean Left rated The Free Press as Lean Left, on average, while respondents who rated their own bias as Lean Right, or Center, rated The Free Press as Lean Left. Respondents who rated their own bias as Right rated the Free Press as Left. Republicans and Independents rated The Free Press as Lean Left; Democrats rated The Free Press as Center. A total of 633 respondents rated the bias.

National Review Rated Right

N ational Review was rated Right (5.27).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Lean Right, Right or Center all rated National Review as Right, on average. Republicans, Democrats and Independents rated National Review as Right. A total of 682 respondents rated the bias.

Politico Rated Lean Left

P olitico was rated Lean Left (-2.48).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, or Center rated Politico Lean Left, on average; respondents with a Lean Right or Right bias rated Politico as Left. Democrats and Independents rated Politico as Lean Left. Republicans rated Politico as Left. A total of 617 respondents rated the bias.

Associated Press Rated Left

Associated Press was rated Left (-3.72).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Center, Lean Right, or Right, rated Associated Press as Left, on average; respondents with a Lean Left bias rated Associated Press as Lean Left, on average. Independents and Republicans rated Associated Press as Left. Democrats rated Associated Press as Lean Left. A total of 707 respondents rated the bias.

About The Survey

A total of 871 people across the political spectrum took the survey. Each survey participant was asked to self-report their personal political bias – 75 participants with a self-reported Left bias; 190 with a Lean Left bias; 277 with a Center bias; 264 with a Lean Right bias, and 65 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

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.

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