Slate

AllSides Media Bias Rating™: Left
11768/4233
The bias meter value for Slate is -4.50. -6 is the furthest "Left" value and 6 is the furthest "Right" value.
-4.50
Left What does this mean?

How we determined this rating:

  • Independent Review
  • Editorial Review: Sep 2018
  • Community Feedback:   ratings
  • Blind Survey: Feb 2024
  • Third-Party Analysis: 2014 Pew Research Center Study - Where News Audiences Fit on the Political Spectrum
  • AllSides has high 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
Slate
Slate
Bias Rating Left
Type News Media
Region National
Owner The Slate Group
Established 1996
Website slate.com
Twitter @Slate
Facebook Slate
Wikipedia Slate
What a Left Bias Rating Means

The source displays media bias in ways that strongly align with liberal, progressive, or left-wing thought and/or policy agendas. A Left rating is our most liberal rating on the political spectrum.

Learn more about Left ratings
Go to Slate
Possible Paywall
Some content from this source may be limited or behind a paywall.

About Slate's Bias Rating

Slate is featured on the AllSides Media Bias Chart™.

Slate is a news media 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

Bias Reviews

We use multiple methods to analyze sources. Learn how we rate media bias.

Slate Rated Left in Feb. 2024 BBS

Slate’s AllSides Media Bias Rating™ was confirmed as Left in our Feb. 2024 Blind Bias Survey. 

Respondents across the political spectrum all rated Slate Left on average. This confirmed AllSides’ existing bias rating for Slate. 

A total of 820 people across the political spectrum took the survey including 100 respondents with a self-reported Left bias; 208 with a Lean Left bias; 235 with a Center bias; 222 with a Lean Right bias, and 55 with a Right bias.

Slate Rated Left in Apr. 2022 Independent Review

An independent review of Slate conducted in April 2022 by a member of the AllSides panel confirmed the rating of Left

The reviewer found that while much of Slate's content was opinion and analysis content on nonpartisan topics, content on partisan topics almost always criticized Republicans or advocated positions usually associated with the political left. 

Slate Moved from Lean Left to Left in Sept. 2018 Editorial Review

In September 2018, AllSides conducted an Editorial Review of Slate. We decided to move Slate's bias from a Lean Left to Left.

The AllSides team found that Slate never includes a Right-leaning perspective on its website, making it unbalanced. Opinion pieces on Slate are often labeled news, making it unclear to readers what is fact and what is opinion. In its news reporting, Slate often uses subjective and emotional words.

At the time of review on Sept. 6, 2018, we noted that multiple pieces of Slate content labeled "news" were not balanced, and gave readers only a Left perspective on issues of the day. For example, that day a piece on the site claimed that the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination is "a matter of life and death" for women — a subjective statement. Another piece claimed the Trump administration was "ignoring" rules against indefinite detention of undocumented children, when in reality the administration released documents proposing to amend them. Another Slate piece labeled "news" opened, "Donald Trump, who is somehow the president, did an interview..." Slate's framing of these issues and subjective language has a clear Left media bias.

Top of Page

Community Feedback

Feedback does not determine ratings, but may trigger deeper review.

As of March 2024, people have voted on the AllSides Media Bias Rating for Slate. On average, those who disagree with our rating think this source has a Lean Left bias.

As of April 2022, 10,209 AllSides readers agreed with the Left rating. 3,693 disagreed; on average, those who disagreed suggested a rating of Lean Left.

As of August 2018, before AllSides shifted Slate's media bias rating, 1,436 AllSides readers agreed that Slate's media bias rating was Lean Left. On average, those who disagreed rated Slate as Left.

Confidence Level

Confidence is determined by how many reviews have been applied and consistency of data.

As of March 2024, AllSides has high confidence in our Left rating for Slate. Two or more bias reviews have affirmed this rating or the source is transparent about bias.

Additional Information

According to Wikipedia, Slate is an "online magazine that covers current affairs, politics, and culture in the United States from a liberal perspective."

Slate describes itself as a "daily magazine on the web," a "podcast network," and "a general-interest publication offering analysis and commentary about politics, news, business, technology, and culture." 

Slate is a United States-based, English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company. Since 4 June 2008 Slate has been managed by The Slate Group, an online publishing entity created by the Washington Post Company to develop and manage web-only magazines.

Political Leaning of Slate's Audience

According to a 2014 Pew Research study, a clear majority of Slate's audience (76%) is left-of-center.

Third-Party Accusations of Bias

In December 2016, Fox News published a piece titled: "BIAS ALERT: Slate switches from defense of Electoral College to calling it a tool of white supremacy."

At a May 2015 annual retreat, Slate asked staffers and Slate Plus members about the magazine's perceived "left-liberal leanings." According to Slate, many "reiterated the point that integrity—as measured in fidelity to facts and rigorous critical thinking—was far more important than any semblance of ideological 'balance.'" Slate also said that some were attracted to the magazine because of its "left-of-center point of view." Others suggested "adding more conservative voices," "working harder at achieving geographic diversity" and "scaling back" coverage of identity politics.

 

Top of Page

Slate Ownership and Funding

Funding and ownership do not influence bias ratings. We rate the bias of content only.

Owner: The Slate Group

Slate is owned by the Graham Holdings Company. The Graham Holdings Company also owns Foreign Policy and The Root.

Financing and ownership information last updated February 22, 2021. If you think this information is out of date or needs to be updated, please contact us.

Articles from Slate

This content was curated by AllSides. See our Balanced Newsfeed.