Is this website liberal bias
Executive summary
Available sources show that third‑party media‑rating sites commonly classify many news outlets as left‑center or having a “slight to moderate liberal bias,” often based on story selection, wording, and audience lean; Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) repeatedly uses terms like “Left‑Center” or “slight to moderate liberal bias” when rating sites such as GroundUp, NOTUS, NPR and others [1] [2] [3]. Other tools (AllSides, University of Michigan guide) present different methodologies — crowd‑sourced ratings, surveys and research — and urge reading across the spectrum rather than relying on a single label [4] [5].
1. How third‑party ratings reach “liberal bias” labels
Media Bias/Fact Check’s assessments typically rest on story selection, framing and use of loaded language: MBFC explains “slight to moderate liberal bias” reflects choices that favor liberal causes and emotional wording even when factual reporting is generally sound; MBFC applied Left‑Center ratings to outlets like GroundUp and NOTUS after reviewing tone, topics and sourcing [1] [2]. AllSides, by contrast, emphasizes crowd‑sourcing, surveys and multiple review methods and places outlets on a spectrum so readers can “read horizontally” across perspectives [4] [6].
2. What the “left‑center” or “slight to moderate” tag actually means
MBFC’s recurring language in these samples is precise: “slight to moderate liberal bias” or “Left‑Center” signals that the outlet “often publishes factual information” but uses wording or story choices that favor liberal perspectives; MBFC still often rates such outlets as having “High” factual reporting despite the bias label [1] [2]. That shows an important distinction: bias rating is about slant or selection, not necessarily about factual accuracy [1] [7].
3. Different methods produce different conclusions — dispute and nuance
AllSides and MBFC use different methodologies and thus sometimes assign different positions or emphases; the University of Michigan guide highlights that these systems combine crowd input, surveys and third‑party research, and that mainstream outlets frequently appear center‑left in aggregate ratings [5] [4]. MBFC’s own writeups note contested cases — for example, NPR has been accused of different biases by both conservative and progressive watchdogs at various times, reflecting disagreements about what counts as bias in coverage [3].
4. Examples from recent coverage and reactions
The Guardian’s reporting on BBC boardroom disputes shows how accusations of “liberal bias” can have political effects inside a public broadcaster and trigger resignations, internal disputes and claims that external political actors are trying to influence coverage — an example of how bias claims become political news themselves [8]. MBFC’s catalog of outlet reviews and weekly literacy quizzes also demonstrates the recurring framing that many outlets fall into the left‑center category [9].
5. What this means if you’re judging a single website
If your question is “is this website liberal bias?” the evidence in these sources recommends two steps: check multiple evaluators (MBFC, AllSides, Pew links in library guides) because method matters, and separate factual reliability from editorial slant — MBFC often labels outlets left‑center while still rating factual reporting highly [1] [2] [5]. The University of Michigan guide and AllSides explicitly encourage consuming news across perspectives rather than relying on a single bias label [5] [4].
6. Hidden agendas and limitations to watch for
MBFC’s writeups sometimes reference critiques from ideologically opposed watchdogs (e.g., CAMERA, FAIR) when discussing outlets like NPR, which shows that bias accusations can come from both sides and reflect the accuser’s agenda as much as the target’s coverage [3]. Also, different rating systems emphasize different inputs (crowd vs. editorial analysis), so any single rating has methodological blind spots [4] [5].
7. Practical next steps for you as a reader
Compare the outlet on MBFC and AllSides pages (if available), read the rating explanations, and look at the outlet’s sourcing and topic selection in several articles — MBFC flags loaded wording and story selection as common markers of “slight to moderate liberal bias” [1] [2]. Finally, consult broader guides (University of Michigan) and use a balanced newsfeed to “read horizontally” so you can judge coverage in context [5] [4].
Limitations: the materials I cite are summaries from media evaluators and a news report about the BBC; available sources do not mention the specific website you have in mind, so I cannot provide a definitive rating for that site from these sources [3] [1] [4].