FiveThirtyEight

About FiveThirtyEight's Bias Rating

FiveThirtyEight is a news media source with an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Center.

FiveThirtyEight's mission statement claims: "We use data and evidence to advance public knowledge — adding certainty where we can and uncertainty where we must."

What a "Center" Rating Means

Sources with an AllSides Media Bias Rating of Center either do not show much predictable media bias, display a balance of articles with left and right biases, or equally balance left and right perspectives.

Center doesn't mean better! A Center media bias rating does not necessarily mean a source is totally unbiased, neutral, perfectly reasonable, or credible, just as Left and Right don't necessarily mean extreme, wrong, unreasonable, or not credible. AllSides encourages people to read outlets across the political spectrum.

FiveThirtyEight Rated Center in October 2022 Small Group Editorial Review

An AllSides October 2022 Small Group Editorial Review returned a bias rating of Center for FiveThirtyEight. Three panelists from the left, center, and right all observed balanced story choice and word choice. A reviewer on the left noted that articles include links to cited sources, and a reviewer on the right observed the lack of sensationalism in their coverage of contentious issues. While all three panelists noted some instances of Lean Left bias indicators, there were enough articles in the Center to convince the team to give a Center rating. 

FiveThirtyEight’s political content often includes fact-driven statistical analysis. The majority of the coverage did not show signs of bias, such as articles on immigration, midterm elections and the Jan. 6 hearings. These articles reported facts without employing biased word choice, slant, or other types of media bias. 

All of the panelists noted a few instances of Lean Left bias indicators. An article on abortion mentioned the phrase “Trumpian rhetoric,” which a panelist on the left noted as a Lean Left word choice. The same panelist also noted a Lean Left story choice and bias by omission in an article on climate change, which failed to include Republican opposition to climate initiatives. A reviewer from the Center noted that one article employed negativity bias toward Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee running for the US Senate seat in Pennsylvania.  

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

As of September 2023, AllSides has low or initial confidence in our Center rating for FiveThirtyEight. If we perform more bias reviews and gather consistent data, this confidence level will increase.

Owner: ABC News

FiveThirtyEight is owned by ABC News, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.