We had to solve a problem.

AllSides is dedicated to delivering news with source bias transparency. But, we often find interesting articles (on hot topics) for which we have limited source bias info.

This means that some of our ratings end up being more preliminary than others. Plus, all our ratings evolve as bias shifts or new data is revealed.

So here's our solution: Bias Confidence Levels

An example of our new Bias Confidence Level feature is shown below.

Here you see an example where our Bias Confidence Level is labeled "Low or Initial."

 

It's not low because we think it's wrong. It's low because we have only applied one method of analysis so far (the method with the check mark), and that method is our least comprehensive method.

Generally, the more reliable methods we apply, the more the Bias Confidence Level goes up. A caveat here is that if most methods point in one direction while one method strongly points in another direction, Confidence Level ticks down and we know more data is needed. 

Curious about what the bias research methods are?

To learn more about the AllSides bias research methods, go to one of our news source pages, such as the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. When you hover over a question mark, you'll see method explanations pop up. For example, here's the pop-up for Blind Survey:

 

Please let us know if you have ideas, questions, or other feedback on all this by sending a message to feedback@allsides.com.

By the way, you can always strengthen the bias ratings by taking our latest blind survey.

Thank you for supporting multipartisan, bias-transparent news!