A "Center" Media Bias Rating Doesn't Mean Neutral

Here's the skinny: A "Center" media bias rating from AllSides doesn't necessarily mean a source is neutral, unbiased, perfectly reasonable or credible. A Center media bias rating simply means a source or writer does not predictably publish content tilted toward either end of the political spectrum — conservative or liberal. A media outlet with a Center rating may omit important perspectives, or run individual articles that display bias, while not displaying a lot of predictable bias in its content overall. Center doesn't mean better! We encourage people to read outlets across the political spectrum.

Updated Aug. 13, 2020 3:38 pm EST

Ever since AllSides released the first version of our Media Bias Chart, we've been paying careful attention to reader feedback — and one of the most common pieces of feedback has been from people who just can't seem to understand why we rated certain media outlets as "Center."

We hear this feedback, and have realized there may be some confusion over what a "Center" media bias rating from AllSides means. We want to say loud and clear: a Center rating does not necessarily mean a source is neutral, unbiased, or perfectly reasonable.

When looking at the AllSides Media Bias Chart™, it can be easy to assume the outlets rated Center are the most unbiased and determine that you should only read news from Center outlets. But that's not the case.

A Center media bias rating simply means a source or writer rated does not predictably publish content tilted toward either end of the political spectrum — conservative or liberal. A Center outlet may not show much predictable bias, or its bias leans to the left and right equally at different times. A media outlet with a Center rating may omit important perspectives or run individual articles that display bias, while not displaying a lot of predictable bias in its content overall. 

But Center outlets will not necessarily give you the full story. It's important to note that sometimes, a media outlet with a Center rating misses important perspectives, leaving out valid perspectives from the left or right.

While it may be easy to think that we should only consume media from Center outlets, AllSides believes Center is not necessarily the answer. By reading only Center outlets, we may still encounter bias and omission of important issues and perspectives. For this reason, it is important to consume a balanced news diet.

View the full list of AllSides Media Bias Ratings™.