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Dave Van Zandt
Executive summary
Dave (Dave M.) Van Zandt is the founder, owner and primary editor of Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC), a privately held LLC that began in 2015 and is widely cited online as an independent media-bias rating site [1] [2]. He is distinct from David E. Van Zandt, the academic who served as president of The New School; some sources explicitly caution against conflating the two [1] [3].
1. Who is Dave Van Zandt — the MBFC founder?
Dave M. Van Zandt is presented in MBFC’s own materials as the sole owner/operator of Media Bias/Fact Check, based in North Carolina, who holds a communications degree and an advanced science degree, works in the healthcare industry, and makes final editorial decisions for the site [1]. Independent profiles and summaries likewise describe him as the founder, owner and editor of MBFC and note his role in growing the site since its start [4] [5].
2. What is Media Bias/Fact Check and how is Van Zandt connected?
Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) is a limited liability company that classifies media outlets by ideological lean and factual reporting; MBFC’s publicly available “About” and contact pages name Dave M. Van Zandt as founder and primary editor and state the company’s North Carolina LLC status and operational details [1] [2]. InfluenceWatch’s profile also repeats that MBFC was founded in 2015 by Dave M. Van Zandt and that he serves as editor [2].
3. Claims about Van Zandt’s background and voting leanings
MBFC’s own About and Contact content describe Van Zandt as a registered unaffiliated (Non‑Affiliated) voter who values evidence-based reporting, and say he studied communications and later an advanced science degree while working in healthcare [6] [1]. News and profile pages repeat these biographical notes, including the claim of more than two decades of independent research into media bias [1] [7]. These are self-reported or MBFC-published details; independent verification beyond the site text is not present in the current set of sources.
4. Confusion with David E. Van Zandt (academic) — why it matters
Several sources explicitly warn readers not to confuse Dave M. Van Zandt with David E. Van Zandt, the lawyer and academic who served as president of The New School and dean at Northwestern Law; the two are separate people with different careers [1] [8]. MarketScreener’s entry appears to conflate or misstate roles for “David E. van Zandt,” listing implausible titles such as “Associate Justice at Supreme Court of the United States,” which signals reliability problems in some aggregator listings and underscores the importance of checking primary or authoritative pages [9] [8].
5. How journalists and scholars view MBFC and Van Zandt
Critical attention from established media scholars is mixed: Columbia Journalism Review characterizes MBFC as an example of an “amateur” bias‑rating effort and refers to Dave Van Zandt as an “armchair media analyst,” placing MBFC among many non‑academic attempts to measure media bias [3]. That phrasing indicates mainstream journalism’s skepticism about the methodology and expertise behind such independent projects, even while acknowledging their visibility online [3].
6. Transparency, scale and claimed influence
MBFC materials and some profiles emphasize the site’s reach and usage by others; promotional write‑ups state that MBFC is frequently used or cited by larger outlets and that Dave Van Zandt has grown MBFC without outside financial backing [4]. InfluenceWatch and other summaries corroborate MBFC’s LLC status and editorial control by Van Zandt, which is relevant context for readers assessing the site’s independence and potential conflicts [2] [1].
7. Limitations in available reporting and what’s not found
Available sources do not mention independently audited credentials, peer‑reviewed methodology, or third‑party verification of Van Zandt’s claimed two decades of research beyond MBFC’s own statements [1]. They also do not provide public records or academic publications that validate the advanced science degree or specific professional credentials beyond MBFC’s self-description [1] [7].
8. Bottom line for readers evaluating Van Zandt and MBFC
Dave M. Van Zandt is the named founder/editor who controls MBFC and publicly provides biographical and organizational details on MBFC’s About/Contact pages; researchers and journalists should note the site’s private ownership, MBFC’s self‑reported credentials, and outside critiques that label the project an “amateur” bias measurement effort [1] [3] [2]. Also, do not conflate him with David E. Van Zandt, the academic administrator — reputable sources explicitly separate the two identities [1] [8].