Who is Dave Van Zandt and what is his professional background?
Executive summary
There are at least two prominent figures named Dave (or David) Van Zandt in current reporting: David E. Van Zandt, an attorney, legal scholar and long‑time academic leader who served as dean of Northwestern Law (1995–2010) and as president of The New School (2011–2020) [1] [2]. Separately, Dave M. Van Zandt is identified in multiple sources as the founder, owner and editor of Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) and is described as a private individual who holds a communications degree and an advanced science degree and works in the healthcare industry [3] [4].
1. Two different men, often conflated — identity and roles
Reporting makes clear there are distinct people with similar names and that sources explicitly warn not to confuse them. David E. Van Zandt is the academic and attorney who led the New School and previously served as dean at Northwestern Law [1] [2]. Dave M. Van Zandt is the private founder/editor of the website Media Bias/Fact Check and runs MBFC as an LLC from North Carolina; MBFC’s own pages explicitly note he is not affiliated with The New School or David E. Van Zandt [3] [4].
2. David E. Van Zandt — the academic‑administrator profile
Multiple institutional and press sources profile David E. Van Zandt as an attorney, legal scholar and university administrator. He earned a B.A. in sociology at Princeton and a J.D. from Yale Law School, joined Northwestern faculty in 1985, served as dean of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law from 1995 to 2010 and became the eighth president of The New School in 2011, serving through April 2020 [1] [2] [5]. Coverage credits him with shifting admissions and curricular practices at Northwestern Law and elevating The New School’s international and socially engaged profile [2] [6].
3. Dave M. Van Zandt — founder/editor of Media Bias/Fact Check
Independent reporting and organizational profiles identify Dave M. Van Zandt as founder, owner and editor of Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC), a for‑profit LLC founded in 2015 that classifies outlets by ideological lean and factual reporting [4] [7]. MBFC states that Van Zandt runs the site from North Carolina, makes the final editorial calls, and operates the organization with volunteers and contractors [8] [3]. InfluenceWatch and other profiles repeat the founder/editor description and note MBFC’s methodology and funding statements [4].
4. Education and career claims for the MBFC founder — what sources say
MBFC’s public bios describe Dave M. Van Zandt as holding a degree in communications and an advanced degree in the sciences, living in North Carolina, and currently working in the healthcare industry while spending decades researching media bias independently [3] [8]. External coverage (InfluenceWatch, News Facts Network) repeats that he is the founder and editor of MBFC; some third‑party articles describe him as “not a journalist” with a background in communications and science [4] [8] [9].
5. Questionable or partisan material — how other outlets treat him
There is contested commentary about Dave Van Zandt’s work and neutrality. MBFC’s critics and watchdogs have published disputes about specific outlet ratings and methodology, and sites like Hucksters.net and Wikispooks present partisan or conspiratorial takes, while Zebra Fact Check and other niche fact‑checkers have corresponded with him about methodology critiques [10] [11] [12]. InfluenceWatch documents MBFC’s classifications and critical interactions with outlets MBFC rated [4]. These sources show debate exists over MBFC’s methods and conclusions.
6. What reliable sources do not say
Available sources do not mention any criminal conduct, high‑office governmental roles for Dave M. Van Zandt, or formal academic appointments linking the MBFC founder to The New School; MBFC’s own pages explicitly disavow affiliation with David E. Van Zandt of The New School [3]. Marketscreener’s unusual items about David E. van Zandt holding unrelated high government posts are outliers and inconsistent with mainstream institutional biographies [13] [1].
7. Practical takeaways and why the distinction matters
When you encounter “Dave Van Zandt” in reporting, verify which person is meant: the academic David E. Van Zandt with a Yale J.D. and university leadership record, or Dave M. Van Zandt, the privately employed founder/editor of Media Bias/Fact Check [1] [3] [4]. Conflating them leads to factual error and misattribution. For vetting MBFC’s claims or David E. Van Zandt’s institutional decisions, consult the specific sources cited above that document their separate careers [2] [4].
Limitations: this summary relies solely on the provided documents and reflects how those sources describe each individual [1] [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention other biographical details beyond what is cited here.