U.S. News & World Report

About U.S. News & World Report's Bias Rating

U.S. News & World Report is a news media source with an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Lean Left.

U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories. In recent years, it has become particularly known for its ranking system and annual reports on American colleges, graduate schools and hospitals.

Since June 2008, the magazine has gradually reduced its publication frequency three times, switching first from weekly to biweekly, then going monthly in November 2008. In November 2010, it was reported that U.S News & World Report would be switched to an online-only format, effective after it published its December issue; it would still publish special issues in print on colleges, hospitals, and personal finance.

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.

U.S. News and World Report Confirmed as Lean Left in July 2022 Independent Review

A July 2022 Independent Review by an AllSides editor found U.S. News' politics section displayed Lean Left bias, displaying types of bias including story choice, slant, bias by omission of views on the right, subjective qualifying adjectives, spin words and phrases, and opinion presented as fact. Articles often omitted voices on the right and framed conservative views and policies in a negative light. Examples below.

Slant:

• An article framed Trump's address at an NRA convention negatively, saying Trump was "complaining about the "rigged" election, trashing President Joe Biden, and serving up a word salad..."
• One article framed conservative views on LGBTQ issues as "attacks," the headline reading: "Biden Lashes Out at GOP’s Anti-LGBTQ Attacks." The article called Republican legislation in various states "a slew of anti-LGBTQ policies," and stated: "Biden referenced various legislation introduced in states, including a Texas rule that allows the state to investigate parents of transgender children for child abuse and another bill in Florida dubbed by opponents the “Don’t Say Gay” bill." The article commited slant by framing the Texas rule as allowing the state to investigate parents of trans children, when the rule holds that parents can be investigated not simply for having a trans child, but specifically for allowing the child to undergo medical procedures such as cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, or genital sex change surgery.

Subjective qualifying adjectives: "explosive findings," "explosive testimony," "high-drama, high-stakes and highly-anticipated Jan. 6 committee hearings," "discredited argument,"

Spin words: "enraged," "lashes out", "anti-LGBTQ attacks," "complaining," "serving up a word salad" 

Commentary/opinion statements presented as fact: "The image of the high court as a respected and legitimate arbiter of national disputes is fading away as it is regarded as a more political institution." "The president is having a hard time making his case to an unhappy public..."

For the most part, US News leaned left, but a few articles, such as one about a poll on parents' feelings about politics in the classroom, were more Center.

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As of September 2023, people have voted on the AllSides Media Bias Rating for U.S. News & World Report. On average, those who disagree with our rating think this source has a Center bias.

As of September 2023, AllSides has low or initial confidence in our Lean left rating for U.S. News & World Report. If we perform more bias reviews and gather consistent data, this confidence level will increase.

Owner: Mortimer Zuckerman