News Source Bias

News Source Bias

By: Paul Manetto (Class of 2026)

O’Connell students are very fortunate. When it comes to deciding where to get their latest news from, free from bias and inaccuracies, they can go straight to The Visor. However, when looking at the big picture, trying to find news sources to watch major events unfold, it can be a lot harder. People on both sides of the aisle complain about media bias, but what constitutes legitimate bias or just fair coverage? Which sources help you argue your side, but don’t ignore or cover over the facts on the ground? What truly are the best news outlets, left, right, and center?  Let’s begin by taking a look at the three news organizations in the US: CNN, Fox News and MSNOW.

When it comes to news organizations in the US, Fox News dwarfs the competition, with over 1.3 million daily viewers. This is one of several organizations begun by Australian businessman Rupert Murdoch, a controversial figure famous for his ownership of center-right to right-wing news organizations. Fox is famously (or infamously) conservative, with a Right bias by Allsides and Media Bias/ Fact Check and a Lean Right by Adfontes Media. When it comes to accuracy, Fox receives a mixed rating from Media Bias/ Fact Check. While certain hosts, such as former press secretary Dana Perino, and award-winning journalist and author Bret Baier, are known for accurate if opinionated journalism, others, like primetime host Sean Hannity, are famous for their incendiary comments and promotion of conspiracy theories. Fox’s most controversial moments came after the 2020 election, when the network defamed Dominion Voting Systems, promoting false claims that their machines cost Donald Trump the election (Dominion eventually sued Fox, earning over $700 million in defamation suit), at the same time many of their anchors were claiming Donald Trump had won. Judging from the facts above, Fox News, while the only major US network to have a Right bias, is more of an echo chamber for opinions that often aren’t accurately checked beforehand, and more aligned with backing up a certain narrative than accurately reporting the facts. Conservatives looking for news coverage can do much better.

Fox’s left-wing twin, MSNOW (formerly MSNBC), is the second most-watched news network in the US, at just over half a million viewers. MSNOW is rated left by all three news watchers, and also receives mixed ratings by Fact Check, with controversies over its coverage of the 2020 Democratic primary and alleged anti-Israel bias. MSNOW is in an interesting spot at the moment; following the 2024 election, NBC created Veraunt, a new company to manage MSNBC, now MSNOW. Under the leadership of Rebecca Kutler, the company took steps to distance itself from its more extreme positions, seemingly as a way to expand its viewership, after a decrease following the 2024 election. One of the biggest changes came in the canceling of progressive pundit Joy Reid, known for her repeated comparison of Republican figures to Fascists and numerous allegations of anti-semitism, along with other prominent progressive slots, and replacing them with more popular and mainstream figures such as Jen Psaki and Rachel Maddow. Kutler also fired anchor Mathew Dowd for unsavory comments about the late Charlie Kirk, and issued an apology for his remarks. At the moment, MSNOW should be considered in a similar place to Fox News, however, it is worth keeping an eye on to see if the network really decides to turn things around. 

The third-highest watched network in the US is CNN, with around four to five hundred thousand views. Of the three networks so far, CNN is by far the most reputable with a mostly factual rating, and a lean left rating from all bias checks. CNN began in the 80s as a news network for Warner Brothers and rose to fame for its coverage of foreign affairs, notably the 1991 invasion of Iraq. When it comes to controversy, CNN has come under fire for its alleged pro-Israel bias, with the network allegedly telling employees to dismiss civilian casualties in the Israeli offensives in Palestine as a product of the October 7th Attacks. However, the majority of allegations come from the right, with questions towards Republican figures being more stringent than towards Democratic figures, both in debates and interviews. However, these questions are often important clarifications and seem important to the context of the situation, the issue comes when only one side receives tough but fair questioning. CNN anchors, such as Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, Wolf Blitzer and Kaitlin Collins, have all received praise and are generally considered competent if not slightly biased journalists. hile certainly the minority, CNN has fired certain reporters for bias including Don Lemon, for sexist comments about presidential candidate Nikki Haley, and Chris Cuomo for defending his brother (NY Gov. Andrew Coumo) for sexual abuse. When it comes to journalism, CNN certainly has quality reporting that is generally accurate, however to combat left leaning bias, consider adding in factual right wing sources such as National Review or Newsmax to get the full picture. 

Now that we have covered the modern big three, let’s dive into the “Big Three” of the past, or NBC, CBS and ABC. Beginning with NBC, the first regular television program in the US, it is considered a left leaning news organization with high factuality. ABC is in a similar position, with the same ratings. Both of these news organizations would be in a similar position to CNN, factual but would recommend more right leaning news sources to back them up. CBS is where things get interesting, recently CBS hired a new editor and chief, Bari Weiss, as a ploy to improve favorability with the center. Weiss, who self identifies as a “left-wing centrist”with unapologetically pro-Isreal and anti-woke views, has sparked criticism in her new role, specifically for holding up a 60 Minutes Segment on the CECOT prison in El Salvador for a supposed anti-Trump bias, despite having already been confirmed. Critics of Weiss suggest she did this as a favor to the Trump administration, supporters say she was simply new to the job and wanted additional comments. This incident caused Media Bias / Fact Check to downgrade CBS to a mostly factual rating and give it a lean right bias, with Adfontes giving it a center rating and Allsides a lean left. Time will see the impact Weiss will have on CBS. 

While America has no shortage of news organizations, let’s go through some of the most prominent ones. The New York Times typically has a liberal bias, endorsing the democratic candidates since 1960, but is generally accurate with quality reporting. The Washington Post would fall into the same category, but owner Jeff Bezos has reportedly put pressure on the paper to promote civil liberties and free market economics. Nonetheless, it is widely agreed to have a center left bias. The Wall Street Journal is agreed to be much more centrist, with a right leaning, free market business elite approach to journalism. Politico, left leaning, gives readers the ins and outs of politics in DC, focusing more on the people than the events themselves. BBC, CBC, ABC, France 24 and DW News are state owned media outlets from the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany respectively. While each has a slight bias, and recent events, particularly with the BBC, have raised questions if public broadcasters can really be totally impartial, they are generally highly factual and excellent sources for world news and international events. 

To conclude, the author recommends the following; If you want quality left wing analysis, check out the Guardian. This British based news company offers an unapologetically left wing view, but receives high ratings for accuracy. For a right wing source of similar tenor, National Review is for you. For those seeking simple facts without opinions, try TLDR News. Exclusively on Youtube, TLDR has three channels, UK, EU and World, and gives information on current events in under ten minutes. For day to day news and updates, use the BBC or CNN with a right wing source to see the full picture. 

In an era where claims of “fake news” are made from both the right and the left, it is hard to know what is factual, tinted journalism or just full on not true. It’s not easy to get the full picture of a story, but with a little digging and good old fashioned human intelligence, it can be done.