How do independent credibility assessments rank Fox News compared with other US cable networks?

1. Ratings firms: right‑leaning bias, uneven reliability

Independent evaluators who analyze content systematically rate Fox News as right‑of‑center on bias scales and give mixed reliability grades. Ad Fontes places the Fox News website in the “Skews Right” category and judges its reliability as generally reliable but with caveats tied to analysis or other issues ^[1]. AllSides’ blind survey likewise recorded a rightward rating for Fox News (Right +3.10 in the June 2023 exercise), though respondents’ own leanings shift the numeric label ^[4]. Media Bias/Fact Check historically classifies straight‑news reporting on Fox as often factual but says opinion programming “overshadows” reporting and has given low factual ratings in past updates ^{[5] [6]}.

2. How that compares to other U.S. cable players

The sources provided compare Fox to other outlets qualitatively rather than giving a single ranking list across all cable networks. Ad Fontes offers an interactive bias chart to place outlets side‑by‑side, and on that chart Fox registers as right‑skewing compared with more centrist or left‑skewing networks ^[1]. AllSides’ blind surveys show Fox as more right than outlets that rate as Lean Right or Center, but the exact ordinal ranking versus CNN, MSNBC or NewsNation depends on the survey sample and respondents’ self‑rated biases ^[4].

3. Public trust and audience patterns — polarized credibility

Polling shows credibility for Fox News is sharply polarized by party. Pew Research found Fox is the most trusted source among Republicans (56% of Republicans and Republican‑leaning independents trust Fox) while Democrats are uniquely likely to distrust it ^[2]. YouGov surveys likewise place Fox among the most‑used sources (40% usage in 2025) and show trust movements vary by party, with Republicans’ net trust improving in recent cycles ^{[3] [7]}. These public‑opinion measures mean “credibility” depends on the audience being measured as much as any editorial metric.

4. Why ratings and polls diverge: methodology and scope matter

Differing outcomes are a function of what is being measured. Content‑analysis projects (Ad Fontes, AllSides, MBFC) score bias and sourcing in programming and online output; they emphasize ideology and sourcing practices ^{[1] [4] [5]}. Polls (Pew, YouGov, Statista summaries of YouGov/Morning Consult) measure perceived trust among audiences and show usage patterns and partisan splits ^{[2] [3] [8]}. The result: an outlet can be rated “skews right” by analysts yet still be trusted by a large partisan audience ^{[1] [2]}.

5. Controversies and internal signals that affect credibility

Reporting and legal filings have amplified questions about Fox’s editorial practices. Public records tied to litigation (Smartmatic v. Fox News) and historical leaked memos have been cited in coverage and encyclopedic dossiers as evidence employees and researchers raised concerns about alignment and editorial directives — material that independent raters and critics cite when assessing credibility ^[9]. Media Bias/Fact Check recounts longstanding critiques that opinion programming can overshadow straight reporting at Fox ^[5].

6. What independent assessments agree on — and where they disagree

Across these sources there is consensus that Fox News is a right‑skewing outlet and that credibility assessments are polarized along partisan lines ^{[1] [4] [2]}. They disagree on degree and consequence: some content analysts give “generally reliable” marks for news reporting while warning about opinion coverage ^{[1] [5]}. Polls show Fox remains a major news source used by many Americans despite disputed credibility among other audiences ^{[3] [7]}.

7. Bottom line for readers seeking context

If you judge credibility by independent content analysis, Fox ranks as right‑leaning with mixed reliability — reliable in parts but problematic in others ^{[1] [5]}. If you judge by public trust, Fox ranks very high among Republicans and is widely used overall, while Democrats register strong distrust ^{[2] [3]}. Available sources do not mention a single, universally accepted numeric ranking that orders all U.S. cable networks by credibility; instead, the landscape is evaluated through multiple methodologies that produce complementary but not identical pictures ^{[1] [4] [2]}.