Fact check: Is Newsweek credible in 2025?

1. Summary of the results

Newsweek's credibility in 2025 can be assessed through multiple independent rating organizations and metrics:

• Media Bias Fact Check rates Newsweek as "Right-Center" with "Mostly Factual" reporting ^[1]
• Ad Fontes Media places Newsweek in the Middle category with a reliability score of 39.11 and a slight right-leaning bias score of -1.78 ^[2]
• The publication has implemented a "fairness meter" showing that 70% of readers rate articles as fair, and 86% as mostly fair ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual factors should be considered:

• The broader media landscape is facing significant trust issues, with mainstream media being the "least trusted group among 10 U.S. civic and political institutions" according to Gallup in 2024 ^[4]
• Newsweek maintains a reasonable balance on their Op-Ed page, though more opinion pieces lean right ^[1]
• The publication shows significant variability in political leaning across different articles, with bias scores ranging from -8.33 to +7.67 ^[2]
• The organization has written opinion pieces for Trump and appointed a new politics editor in 2024, indicating ongoing changes in their editorial direction ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question of credibility itself requires more nuance:

• Financial/Influence Benefits: Media organizations benefit from being perceived as credible, while political entities benefit from undermining or supporting specific outlets based on their coverage
• Measurement Complexity: Different rating organizations use varying metrics and methodologies to assess credibility
• Active Improvement Efforts: Newsweek's implementation of the fairness meter suggests they are actively working to address credibility concerns ^[3]
• The publication has occasionally required corrections, indicating both fallibility and commitment to accuracy ^[1]