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Washington Post

-1.90
Lean LeftLean Left biasWhat does this mean?

How we determined this rating:

  • Independent Review
  • Editorial Review: Aug 2026, Jan 2025, Jul 2021
  • 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
Contents
  1. About Washington Post's Bias Rating
  2. What a "Lean Left" Rating Means
  3. Details
  4. Bias Reviews
  5. Confidence Level
  6. Additional Information
  7. Ownership & Funding

About Washington Post's Bias Rating

Washington Post is featured on the AllSides Media Bias Chart™.

Washington Post 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 ratings

Details

The Washington Post is a major American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area and widely read around the country. The newspaper has won 47 Pulitzer Prizes. It employs around 800 journalists and had a 2015 daily circulation of 356,768. Its digital circulation was 1,000,000 in 2018.

Jeff Bezos bought the paper in 2013. Tensions between he and the newsroon have continued; in 2024 and 2025, multiple personnel resigned over the paper's non-endorsement of Kamala Harris and editorial changes advanced by Bezos.

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Bias Reviews

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

The Washington Post Rated Lean Left in August 2026 Editorial Review

In August 2026, a multipartisan panel of bias experts on the right, center and left rated The Washington Post Lean Left (-1.9) in an Editorial Review. This shifted the previous rating of the outlet (-1.63) slightly more to the left, but still within the Lean Left category overall. 


 

Bias experts identified several recurring types of media bias, including but not limited to: slant, spin, story choice bias, omission of source attribution, viewpoint omission, word choice bias and subjective qualifying adjectives. Other types of media bias, like anti-Trump framing, Lean Left information placement and imbalanced quoting were also prominent. 

There was strong consensus across the panel of The Washington Post’s bias, with every panelist placing the outlet within the Lean Left category, except one Lean Right panelist who placed it just barely inside the Left category. One Lean Left reviewer said the outlet isn’t all the way to the more “anti-establishment Left” because it is “typical of swampy, D.C. politics.”

Panelists noted that coverage during the review period was dominated by the outlet’s exclusive coverage of President Donald Trump’s concealed travel following an Iranian assassination threat. The main article, titled, “Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat,” was the top featured story on the homepage, with a second follow up story titled, “Trump’s Air Force One switch crosses a new line with journalists.” Bias experts unanimously agreed the two stories were slanted, with one reviewer saying the exclusive report is “spun to make you think this was a bad/distrustful move,” adding it was “very unclear that this was due to a credible threat on Trump’s life” until much later in the story, burying important context to readers. 

“Thoroughout the piece the emphasis is on how the press was kept in the dark,” a Center panelist said. “On the other hand, a Lean Right focus would be on how many threats/attempts there have been on Trump’s life. That (Lean Right) angle isn’t really present from WaPo.”

In the follow-up story, the reporter wrote that Trump’s secret travel "could further degrade the already-fraught rapport between the Trump White House and the press corps" which drew criticism from nearly every panelist. Panelists detected spin and mind reading, opinion presented as fact, and slant that left out the Trump administration's side. 

Another story titled, “A year after D.C. takeover, Trump says crime has plummeted. It’s not that simple, carried the same spin and slant. The headline had an anti-Trump bias, and the story leaned on omission of source attribution throughout, attributing its central rebuttal to unnamed "critics" and "crime policy experts" without quoting them or linking the underlying data. 

“Washington Post is really bad at providing links to primary source material,” one panelist said. “‘Experts say’ gives the constant impression of consensus without backing it up.”

Articles reviewed include:

  • House Democrats seek records in dropped Reflecting Pool case against ex-Olympian
    • Panelists reached mixed consensus on this story, crediting the article's use of direct quotes from officials, the case records, and Raskin's letter. 
    • Reviewers detected bias by viewpoint placement: Trump's Truth Social statement was paraphrased rather than quoted in full and buried near the end, with fewer quotes defending him. 
    • Bias by omission: The article left out the more detailed court documents other outlets reported, including interviews with two National Park employees who witnessed Hearn approach the pool.
    • Slant, sensationalism, and word choice: The piece stated the defendant's version of events as fact where prosecutors would describe it differently ("…when Hearn touched a piece of the detached liner, Raskin said Trump and Burgum latched on to the claim that vandalism was to blame"), and described the case as having "collapsed" and Trump as having "blasted" Pirro.
  • GOP lawmakers release Fauci texts discussing covid vaccine and pregnancy
    • Reviewers identified slant and information placement: the headline and lede say only that GOP senators released the texts, not that the texts appear to contradict Fauci's public statements on the vaccine for pregnant women, which is buried until the fourth paragraph and attributed vaguely to the senators. Panelists also detected bias by omission, noting no link to the released texts.
  • Trump refuses to back down as Supreme Court blocks major policies
    • Slant and opinion presented as fact: the headline says Trump "refuses to back down," while the subhead states "Experts say the moves don't signal outright defiance", which contradicts the headline. The framing suggests unanimous expert agreement without backing it up, and pairs with omission of source attribution in the vague "experts say" construction. 
    • One panelist noted a subjective, mocking tone in the line that Trump "will not take Supreme Court decisions as the final word on some of his most cherished priorities.”

Additional articles reviewed:

Washington Post Shows Story Choice Bias: AllSides 2025 “Shaping the Narrative” Bias Analysis

In April 2025, AllSides’ “Shaping the Narrative” bias analysis examined which topics were most frequently reported on in outlets across the political spectrum. The analysis revealed potential story choice bias — a form of media bias that reveals which perspectives, information, or angles the outlet perceives as most important.

The most prevalent topic covered by the Washington Post was the Trump Administration, appearing in 31% of 140 articles analyzed. The next three most prevalent topics were the Economy (27%), Immigration (14%), and Politics (11%).

The Washington Post often highlighted stories with a negative framing of the Trump administration, either through critiques of the administration’s handling of the economy, immigration, and other topics of interest. The outlet did not always engage in this bias framing however, affirming its Lean Left rating.

During a 14-day period from April 9 – 22, 2025, AllSides pulled the top 10 articles on each outlets’ homepage — 140 total articles per outlet. Read the entire report here.

Washington Post Rated Lean Left in Jan. 2025 Small Group Editorial Review

In Jan. 2025, a multipartisan AllSides panel conducted a Small Group Editorial Review, resulting in a Lean Left (-1.63) rating for Washington Post. 

Averaging this with the Dec. 2024 Blind Bias Survey that resulted in a rating of Lean Left (-1.01), the final rating for Washington Post is Lean Left (-1.63).

The panel identified multiple instances of story choice bias, subjective qualifying adjectives, bias by viewpoint omission/placement, and slant, all of which appealed to left-leaning perspectives.

Articles reviewed included but were not limited to:

 

Washington Post Rated Lean Left in Dec. 2024 Blind Bias Survey

In a Dec. 2024 Blind Bias Survey, Washington Post was rated Lean Left (-1.01).

Respondents who rated their own bias as Left or Lean Left rated Washington Post as Center, while respondents with a Center, Lean Right, or Right bias rated it as Lean Left on average. Democrats rated Washington Post as Center, while Independents and Republicans rated Washington Post as Lean Left. This confirmed AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Lean Left at the time.

A total of 761 people across the political spectrum took the survey, including 73 with a Left bias, 192 with a Lean Left bias, 215 with a Center bias, 224 with a Lean Right bias, and 57 with a Right bias.

Washington Post Fact Check Section Also Shares Lean Left Bias: July 2021 Editorial Review 

The Washington Post fact check section has a Lean Left bias, according to a July 2021 Small Group Editorial Review by AllSides editors on the left, center, and right. 

Washington Post Rated Lean Left in February 2020 Blind Bias Survey

A February 2020 AllSides Blind Bias Survey found that the Washington Post maintains a Lean Left bias, though close to Center. During a Blind Bias Survey, people who hail from all sides of the political spectrum and a diverse array of ages and geographic locations rate the bias of content from a media outlet blindly, meaning all identifying branding and information is removed.

Our February 2020 Blind Bias Survey found that on average, participants rated content from the Washington Post as on the border of Center and Lean Left. However, a majority of respondents who identified themselves as Left or Lean Left indicated they believe the Washington Post is Lean Right, a puzzling and unusual outlier that impacted the overall average. Participants who describe themselves as politically Center, Lean Right and Right all rated Washington Post content as Lean Left. After assessing results of the blind bias survey, AllSides determined that Lean Left is still the best bias rating for Washington Post.

Washington Post Rated Lean Left in March 2013 Blind Bias Survey

A March 2013 AllSides blind bias survey found that The Washington Post has a Lean Left media bias.

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Confidence Level

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

As of August 2026, AllSides has high confidence in our Lean Left rating for Washington Post. Two or more bias reviews have affirmed this rating or the source is transparent about bias.

Additional Information

Jeff Bezos Announces Washington Post Opinion to Focus on 'Personal Liberties and Free Markets,' Opinion Editor Quits

In February 2025, Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos announced a major shift in the paper's opinion section, stating that it would focus on "the support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets" moving forward. Bezos emphasized that while other topics would still be covered, dissenting views on these pillars "will be left to be published by others." Opinion Editor David Shipley, who had held the role since 2022, chose to step down following the decision.

Bezos argued that these values have been central to America's success. However, some Washington Post journalists, including White House economics reporter Jeff Stein, viewed the move as overreach, raising concerns about editorial independence.

The Washington Post Decides Against Endorsing a Presidential Candidate in 2024

The Washington Post has declined to endorse a presidential candidate for the 2024 election. This decision marks the end of the paper's 35-year tradition of endorsing presidential candidates, and has led to the resignation of several editorial board members. While the editorial board had drafted an endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris, the paper's owner, Jeff Bezos, intervened to block its publication. He cited growing concerns over declining trust in the media and perceptions of bias as the primary reasons for the decision. 

Following the election, Bezos took to X to congratulate Donald Trump on his "extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory," adding, "No nation has bigger opportunities." 

Presidential Endorsements: The Post Endorses Democrats

The Post has endorsed Democratic presidential candidates for at least nine presidential elections and has never endorsed a Republican for president. In 2020, the Washington Post kept with precedent and endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president.

Washington Post Audience Demographics

A 2014 Pew Research Center survey found the majority of the Washington Post audience — 61% — has left-of-center political views. Just 7% of Washington Post consumers are consistently conservative; 20% are of mixed political persuasion.

Third-Party Claims of Washington Post Bias

The Washington Post was sued for defamation on February 19, 2019, following allegedly biased media reporting on a viral video of Covington Catholic High School students in January 2019. Attorneys for Covington student Nick Sandmann claim the Post published seven "false and defamatory articles." The complaint states:

"... [T]he Post engaged in a modern-day form of McCarthyism by competing with CNN and NBC, among others, to claim leadership of a mainstream and social media mob of bullies which attacked, vilified, and threatened Nicholas Sandmann ("Nicholas"), an innocent secondary school child. The Post wrongfully targeted and bullied Nicholas because he was the white, Catholic student wearing a red "Make America Great Again" souvenir cap on a school field trip ...

[T]he Post knew and intended that its false and defamatory accusations would be republished by others, including media outlets and others on social media."

In December 2016, The Post published what some called "fake news" — a story that falsely claimed a Russian hacking operation had infiltrated the U.S. electrical grid.

The publication has been accused of both liberal and conservative biases over the years. American journalist and commentator Bill Moyers said that in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Post ran "more than 140 stories on its front page promoting the [Iraq] war, while contrary information 'got lost,' as one Post staffer told [journalist Howard] Kurtz."

In a study published in April 2007, a group of Yale professors found that study participants who were given a free subscription to the Post were 7.9–11.4% more likely to vote for the Democrat candidate for governor than those assigned to a control group. However, people who received a free subscription to the Washington Times, a conservative paper, were also more likely than controls to vote for the Democrat. The study authors said a sampling error might have played a role, as well as the fact that the Democrat candidate had more conservative positions than is typical for a Democrat, and "the month prior to the post-election survey was a difficult period for President Bush, one in which his overall approval rating fell by approximately 4 percentage points nationwide. It appears that heightened exposure to both papers’ news coverage, despite opposing ideological slants, moved public opinion away from Republicans."

According to a 2009 Oxford University Press book by Richard Davis on the impact of blogs on American politics, liberal bloggers link to The Washington Post and The New York Times more often than other major newspapers; yet, conservative bloggers also link often to liberal newspapers.

According to a study by The Economist, which looked at whether news outlets used words more often associated with Democrats and Republicans and assigned those outlets an ideological score, the Washington Post had a Democratic leaning of around 1.5 Democrat-leaning phrases per 10,000 in 2017. By 2022, its left-of-center slant had grown to 3.

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Washington Post Ownership and Funding

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

Owner: Nash Holdings

In October 2013, Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post via his holding company Nash Holdings for $250 million in cash. Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, is the founder, president, and CEO of Amazon. The paper had long been controlled by the Graham family (Graham Holdings Company).

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.