Al Jazeera

About Al Jazeera's Bias Rating

Al Jazeera is a news media source with an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Lean Left.

NOTE: AJ+ is a related AllSides Media Bias Rating™.

What a "Lean Left" Rating Means

Sources with an AllSides Media Bias Rating of Lean Left display media bias in ways that moderately align with liberal, progressive, or left-wing thought and/or policy agendas. A Lean Left bias is a moderately liberal rating on the political spectrum.

• Lean Left Rating Confirmed in June 2022 Small Group Editorial Review
• Al Jazeera Rated Lean Left Following September 2019 Independent Review

Lean Left Rating Confirmed in June 2022 Small Group Editorial Review

Al Jazeera's Lean Left rating was confirmed in a June 2022 Small Group Editorial Review by the AllSides team. Reviewers on the left, center, and right detected types of media bias including Lean Left slant, story choice, bias by omission, opinion presented as fact, subjective qualifying adjectives, and word choice in Al Jazeera's content.

Examples include:

• A piece titled, Reparations could be ‘difference’ for unhoused Black Californians, was a Lean Left story choice and employed Lean Left slant/bias by omission by not providing the other side or opinions from people who are against such measures. It employed Lean Left word choice (using terms the left typically defers to, such as "unhoused" instead of "homeless").
• A piece titled, As US grapples with January 6, Canada ‘shouldn’t be complacent’, employed Lean Left slant and subjective qualifying adjectives, describing political polarization in the U.S. and Canada with a negative bent toward the right. It mentioned "far-right extremism," tied Freedom Convoy protesters to white supremacism and "hate groups," and called the Jan. 6 Capitol riot an insurrection, which is how the left, not the right, tends to view and characterize the event.
• Another piece employed subjective qualifying adjectives about Dr. Anthony Fauci, stating, "Dr Anthony Fauci became a household name for his reassuring and professional presence early in the coronavirus pandemic." This is typically how the left viewed Fauci; it also employed Lean Left word choice, saying Fauci "was frequently vilified by conservatives opposed to public safety measures such as masks and vaccinations,..." The right would not phrase their opposition as being opposed to public safety measures, but rather, would say they were opposed to the limitation of individual liberties.
• A story about immigration policy DACA was a Lean Left story choice and employed slant/bias by omisison, framing the policy in a positive light and only interviewing supporters, with no mention of alternate perspectives. 

While Lean Left bias was largely consistent, notably, an article, Why is the U.S. not pushing for an end to the Ukraine war? featured a political scientist saying "the US should be focusing on its most important threat, China," which is a typically Lean Right perspective, adding a small amount of balance.

Al Jazeera Rated Lean Left Following September 2019 Independent Review

Al Jazeera's bias was rated Lean Left following an independent review in Sept. 2019.

Our independent reviewer found that many of Al Jazeera's pieces employed types of media bias such as emotionalism, slant, spin, and bias by omission. Al Jazeera usually omited right-wing perspectives and viewpoints. Reports generally focused on topics of interest to those on the left. Al Jazeera's opinion section skewed left as well. Some articles framed right viewpoints negatively.

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As of November 2023, people have voted on the AllSides Media Bias Rating for Al Jazeera. On average, those who disagree with our rating think this source has a Lean Left bias.

Out of 9,791 community votes as of Sept. 30, 2019, 6,106 community members disagreed with our bias rating of Center. Those who disagreed with our rating gave Al Jazeera an average bias rating of Lean Left. Community votes do not determine our ratings — however, they can trigger deeper review.

As of November 2023, AllSides has low or initial confidence in our Lean left rating for Al Jazeera. If we perform more bias reviews and gather consistent data, this confidence level will increase.

Additional Information

Al Jazeera, which publishes aljazeera.com, is a Doha-based state-funded broadcaster owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, an entity partially funded by the ruling family of Qatar. It is among the largest news organizations in the world, with over 80 bureaus across the world and a global audience of over 270 million households in over 140 countries. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets in multiple languages.

History of the Al Jazeera Media Bias Rating

Prior to Sept. 2019, AllSides gave Al Jazeera an initial media bias rating of Center, a rating given with low confidence.

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Owner: Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera Media Network receives funding from the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera states that it is "a private corporation established for the public benefit. The Board of Directors of Al Jazeera Media Network issues directives, decisions and related regulations."

In 2021, an Al Jazeera spokesperson told Axios, "Al Jazeera Media Network is a Private Foundation for Public Benefit under Qatari law; it is not owned by Qatar, and its content is not directed or controlled by the Qatari government nor does it reflect any government viewpoint."

Funding information last updated June 2022. If you believe this information is out of date, contact us.