After the release of our X Influencer Bias Chart, online commenters on Instagram objected to our decision to rate J.K. Rowling and Joe Rogan as Center, arguing they are farther right; on X, some followers argued J.K. Rowling is Lean Left.
We heard your feedback, and to be transparent, want to share how we arrived at these Center ratings.
Many view these individuals as polarizing figures firmly entrenched in one of the two partisan camps, but our bias ratings are based on rigorous multipartisan review, not headlines or social media narratives. The AllSides bias rating methodology seeks to reflect the average judgment of Americans across the political spectrum. Because rating political bias is so subjective, individuals will often disagree with some of our ratings — and that’s fine.
Here's how we evaluated these two X influencers — and why our panelists ultimately felt confident that Center is the best rating. Of course, ratings can change over time as we conduct more research, the political landscape/discourse shifts, and the sources themselves express changing views.
How AllSides Rates Influencers
The X Influencer Bias Chart identifies the political leanings of individual content creators on X (formerly Twitter) who:
- Have over 1 million followers (over 1.5M for influencers on the right)
- Regularly post about current events, politics, and culture
- Are individuals, not organizations or brands.
AllSides rates each influencer based on how they express their own political perspective in their content. Most ratings were determined via our Small Group Editorial Review process — a three-person panel with one reviewer each from the left, center, and right, who are trained to identify bias.
We looked at influencers’ commentary and views on a wide range of issues — including, but not limited to, free speech, censorship, immigration, abortion, transgender issues, COVID-19, taxes, and foreign policy — to identify patterns of political bias over time.
Why These Influencers Were Rated Center
J.K. Rowling
Rowling is perhaps best known politically for her opposition to aspects of transgender activism, such as trans women being allowed into women’s spaces, because she believes it conflicts with women’s rights. Some critics argue this makes her right-wing, but our panelists looked at the totality of her positions, not just one issue. J.K. Rowling also:
- Supports gay marriage
- Says she finds home with a political party that “champions social liberalism and equal rights”
- Opposed Brexit
- Supported Obama and Clinton, saying “both have been extraordinary”
- Consistently criticized Donald Trump
- Supported accepting refugees into Europe
- Said Russia is “slaughtering civilians” in Ukraine
- Criticized Netanyahu while opposing a cultural boycott of Israel.
Rowling’s views span both liberal and conservative perspectives; our ratings don’t take into account someone’s self-assessment, but to add more context to her views, consider that Rowling responded to someone on X claiming she is right-wing by saying in part, “I'm a left-leaning liberal who's fiercely anti-authoritarian…My values haven't changed; what's changed is the political landscape. What was once my natural home (a pragmatic centre-left party focused on dealing with economic disparity, championing social liberalism and equal rights) is now dominated by an illiberal, identity-based strain of politics I consider elitist, harmful and out of touch with the day-to-day concerns of regular people, particularly women (and I've still lived more than half of my life as a non-wealthy woman, and some of that time was spent in poverty).”
There was no broad consensus on J.K. Rowling’s rating. Our reviewer on the left rated her Lean Right, our reviewer in the Center rated her Center, and our reviewer who leans right rated her Lean Left. The average of all ratings was Center.
Humans are complex, and so are bias ratings. Because Rowling’s stance on gender is by far her most prominent, people who put more weight on her views on this issue may see her as further right. However, virtually none of her other views are recognizably conservative, and even so, there is a lack of political consensus on where her stance on gender falls ideologically — proponents of the stance claim it’s consistent with feminism, an ideology traditionally much closer aligned with the left than the right. Our panel decided her views on gender issues aren't enough on their own to shift her rating to the right. Our Center rating captures an average of her views in the current landscape, but we acknowledge it’s complicated. You can vote on J.K.’s rating here and potentially prompt a deeper review.
Joe Rogan (Center)
Rogan is sometimes labeled as right-wing due to the guests he features or his views on COVID-19, but his personal views tell a more complex story. Rogan:
- Is pro-choice
- Supports gay marriage
- Advocated for marijuana legalization, but spoke against its use for young people because it's "terrible for brain development"
- Has spoken about psychedelic use as potentially having therapeutic benefits
- Says he has a "dedication" to social welfare programs, saying they are "not all bad...people think it enables people to be lazy. That's not always the case. I think sometimes people get into a bad situation, and as a community, it's good to have a safety net."
- Endorsed Bernie Sanders and later, Donald Trump
- Criticized cancel culture as “looking for wrongspeak” and “toxic”
- Said we “don’t treat [the job of police officer] with enough respect” as a society and Said, “I don’t like those generalizations of anything” such as “all cops are pigs” and “women are stupid”
It seems people on the left are more likely to see Rogan as right-wing; our Lean Left reviewer rated Rogan as Lean Right, but the Center and Lean Right reviewers rated him Center.
A month prior to the release of the chart, 57% of our audience agreed with our rating of Center. Today, it’s still over half who agree — 53% — while 47% disagree. Community votes don’t determine our ratings, as it could be that people who disagree are more motivated to vote, but a large number of disagree votes may still trigger deeper review.
Rather than consistently echoing one side’s opinions, Rogan expresses a blend of views that span the political spectrum. Our panel determined that his ideological diversity places him in the Center.
People Are Complex. Bias Is, Too.
No influencer fits neatly into a box, and our 5-category bias scale is inherently limited. The AllSides approach looks beyond viral moments to assess long-term patterns in how people think and influence others, but due to the subjective nature of bias, it will never be “accurate” — but it is trustworthy, because we take into account opinions from panelists across the political spectrum.
Disagree with a rating? That’s perfectly valid — even expected. Political bias is subjective, and we welcome healthy debate. In fact, your feedback can help us trigger a deeper review of any rating.
Vote on any rating to share your preferred rating for an influencer.
We’re committed to our multipartisan process and hope the X Influencer Bias Chart helps you to better navigate the diverse (and sometimes contradictory) voices shaping our public discourse.
Thoughts and editing by Julie Mastrine, with writing assistance from ChatGPT.
AllSides writers may use AI to assist in blog writing. For more information on how the AllSides editorial team uses AI for our news content – separate from our blog – go here.
Reviewed and edited by Henry Brechter, Editor-in-chief (Center bias), Andy Gorel, News and Social Media Editor (Center), Evan Wagner, News Editor and Product Manager (Lean Left), and Emily Allen, News Editor & Bias Analyst (Left).
