Survey Date: 
May 2023

AllSides conducted research into the perceived bias of five major media outlets in May 2023. These outlets 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

Associated Press Rated Lean Left

Associated Press’ bias was rated Lean Left (-1.30).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Lean Left, Center, Lean Right or Right rated AP as Lean Left; respondents on the Left rated its bias as Center. Democrats rated AP as Center; Republicans and Independents rated AP as Lean Left. 

IJR Rated Right

IJR’s bias was rated Right (+4.29). After conducting an Editorial Review, IJR's AllSides Media Bias Rating™ was moved from Lean Right to Right. 

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center, or Lean Right rated IJR as Right; respondents on the Right rated its bias as Lean Right. Democrats, Independents and Republicans rated IJR as Right. 

IJR was rated Right (+4.29) on average in the Blind Bias Survey, and was rated Right (+3.92) in the Editorial Review. The average of these ratings resulted in a final bias rating of +4.11 for IJR (Right).

Reuters Rated Center

Reuters’ bias was rated Center (-0.73).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center or Lean Right rated Reuters as Center; respondents on the Right rated its bias as Lean Left. Democrats and Independents rated Reuters as Center; Republicans rated Reuters as Lean Left. 

TIME Rated Lean Left

TIME’s bias was rated Lean Left (-2.31).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left, Lean Left, Center, or Lean Right rated TIME as Lean Left on average; respondents on the Right rated its bias as Left. Republicans, Democrats and Independents rated TIME as Lean Left.

TheBlaze Rated Right

TheBlaze’s bias was rated Right (+3.98).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Center, Lean Left, Left or Lean Right rated TheBlaze as Right; respondents on the Right rated its bias as Lean Right. Democrats, Independents and Republicans rated TheBlaze as Right.

About The Survey

A total of 1,009 people across the political spectrum took the survey, including 102 respondents with a self-reported Left bias; 223 with a Lean Left bias; 309 with a Center bias; 299 with a Lean Right bias, and 76 with a Right bias.

Respondents self-reported party affiliation. 220 respondents were Democrats, 465 were Independents, 210 were Republicans, and 114 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

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.