Global Disinformation Index

About Global Disinformation Index

Global Disinformation Index is a think tank / policy group source with an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Left.

What a "Left" Rating Means

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

Learn more about Left ratings

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GDI's "Disinformation Risk" Assessments

The Global Disinformation Index publishes an annual “Disinformation Risk Assessment” on U.S. news media sources. The assessment ranks sources on the likelihood that they’ll publish "disinformation," as defined by GDI.

An AllSides analysis of GDI's 2022 risk assessment for U.S. news sources found that it showed bias against right-rated sources, and lacked transparency about the methodology.

About Global Disinformation Index 

The Global Disinformation Index was founded in 2018 “as a not-for-profit entity built on the three pillars of neutrality, independence and transparency,” according to its About page.

GDI aims to reduce disinformation by reducing the financial incentive, and aims to help companies stop advertising on "risky" sites. Sources are given a risk rating from 0-100 based on four pillars: structure, content, operations, context. 

 

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GDI Rated Left in Feb. 2023 Small Group Editorial Review

An AllSides February 2023 Small Group Editorial Review returned a bias rating of Left for Global Disinformation Index. Reviewers from the right and center gave a rating of Left overall, though a reviewer from the left gave a rating of Lean Left. 

Panelists saw evidence of Left bias by omission of viewpoint and slant. A reviewer from the right noted a focus on left-leaning concerns, pointing to their focus on "hate speech," which the panelist claimed is not typically a concern for those on the right. The same panelist also pointed out Left slant in a report on misogyny, which claims the idea that the feminist movement has "destabilised Western society" is disinformation. A reviewer from the left highlighted GDI's commitment to partisan neutrality in disinformation reports, though noted the focus on climate change and hate speech as aligned with the Left. A report on LGBTQ issues misrepresents and generalizes religious ideas about transgender issues and employs language often associated with left-leaning voices. 

GDI Rated Left in 2021 Independent Review

An independent review by AllSides staff found that the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) has a Left bias rating. 

GDI displays a Left bias by focusing on fringe right-wing ideas more than left. For example, in its election misinformation map, GDI focused almost exclusively on common right-wing theories and issues like voter fraud and QAnon. 

Topic choice also shows a Left bias as GDI focuses almost all its work on issues that interest the left such as  climate change disinformation. 

A GDI report on hate groups focused on groups from the right end of the spectrum. For example, the Family Research Council (FRC) was labeled a hate group. AllSides rates FRC as Lean Right.

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

As of May 2023, AllSides has low or initial confidence in our Left rating for Global Disinformation Index . If we perform more bias reviews and gather consistent data, this confidence level will increase.