The Forward
What does this mean?
How we determined this rating:
-
Independent Review
- Community Feedback: ratings
- AllSides has low or initial confidence in this bias rating.
Unless otherwise noted, this bias rating refers only to online news coverage, not TV, print, or radio content.
Learn about our bias rating methods
| Bias Rating | Lean Left |
| Type | News Media |
| Region | National |
| Owner | Forward Association |
| Established | 1897 |
| Website | forward.com |
| @jdforward | |
| jewishdailyforward | |
| Ballotpedia | The Forward |
About The Forward's Bias Rating
The Forward is a news media source with an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Lean Left.
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.
Learn more about Lean Left ratingsDetails
The Forward Rated Lean Left in AllSides February 2024 Small Group Editorial Review
In February 2024, the AllSides team conducted a Small Group Editorial Review of The Forward, in which we moved The Forward’s bias rating from Center to Lean Left.
A small group of AllSides reviewers — one person each with a bias on the left, center, and right — reviewed content from The Forward for media bias. The team noted that The Forward themed nearly all of its content around Jews and Judaism in the United States and Israel.
The team found The Forward displayed a story choice bias that leaned to the Left but also made an effort to show balanced perspectives, particularly with its opinion section and coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
At the time of review, much of the content published by The Forward was centered around the Israel-Hamas conflict or tensions in America arising from it. The Forward also often published content from a Jewish lens on the 2024 U.S. presidential election, free speech at American universities, and pop culture.
The Forward Rated Center in September 2023 Independent Review
Previously, a September 2023 Independent Review returned a bias rating of Center for The Forward.
Community Feedback
Feedback does not determine ratings, but may trigger deeper review.As of May 2024, people have voted on the AllSides Media Bias Rating for The Forward. On average, those who disagree with our rating think this source has a Left bias.
Confidence Level
Confidence is determined by how many reviews have been applied and consistency of data.As of May 2024, AllSides has low or initial confidence in our Lean left rating for The Forward. If we perform more bias reviews and gather consistent data, this confidence level will increase.
Additional Information
About The Forward
The Forward was founded in 1897 in New York City as a Yiddish-language daily newspaper. According to its “About” page [Retrieved Feb. 2024]:
“It chronicled the events that affected a population of immigrants eager to earn their place in American life, and published regional editions around the country before any other newspaper.”
In 1990, it launched an English language counterpart that was distributed weekly and eventually turned into an online publication. The Forward’s slogan on its homepage is: “Jewish. Independent. Nonprofit.”
Third-Party Claims of Bias
In 2019, the American progressive Jewish magazine Jewish Currents published a piece that criticized The Forward, and its online opinion editor at the time, Batya Ungar-Sargon, for “bothesidesism.”
The author claimed Ungar-Sargon and The Forward “alienated multiple writers of color, (herself) included,” by publishing “the full range of Jewish opinion, from far-left perspectives to far-right perspectives, in the name of intellectual debate and diversity.”
In 2020, the Columbia Journalism Review published a similarly critical feature that aired grievances over Ungar-Sargon’s hiring as the opinion editor:
“Over the past year, a “both sides” approach to the opinion page has flattened The Forward’s reputation, platforming clickbait conservatism and equivocating where it was once willing to confront.”
The Forward Ownership and Funding
Funding and ownership do not influence bias ratings. We rate the bias of content only.Owner: Forward Association
The Forward is owned by the Forward Association.
Its “About” page [Retrieved Feb. 2024] described the publication as “fiercely independent,” and “not-for-profit”:
“The Forward has always been a not-for-profit association and is supported by the contributions of its readers. It is fiercely independent and retains full authority over editorial content to protect its best journalistic and business interests.
News coverage decisions are kept entirely separate from sources of revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.”
Articles from The Forward
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