Publisher Services

Publisher Audits

Most news sources that initially appear on the Media Bias Chart are placed based on our standard rating, which we have undertaken of our own accord, at our own expense, and without any relationship with the news source or its publisher. Our standard rating comprises a minimum representative sample of online articles or program episodes that we select based on our sampling methodology

We offer enhanced third-party auditing services to publishers who are interested in using Ad Fontes ratings for editorial and business purposes; that is, we can help publishers improve their reliability and reduce their bias through ongoing monitoring, and improve their value proposition and potential revenue to advertisers and audiences by demonstrating their high quality.

For audited publishers, we rate up to 100% of all published content using our human + AI scoring systems and provide that data in formats that are useful to both editorial and sales teams.

Services Available and Requirements
Based on Existing Source Reliability Scores

Starting Reliability Score of 36 and above: News organizations already rated at the top of the media landscape for reliable information and who maintain a rating of 36 or above are eligible for the following services:

Advertiser sales support services (including programmatic technical solutions)
Joint marketing opportunities
Use of the Ad Fontes Media logo in promotional materials
Guaranteed appearance in a certain number of monthly “Static” Media Bias Chart images per year and/or Interactive Media Bias Chart displays
Consistent high-sample audits and re-rates of corrections
Quarterly feedback with notes

Starting Reliability Score of 35 and below: News organizations with a reliability rating of 35 and below can receive the following benefits through our auditing service, but will only become eligible for the services provided for news sources scoring above 36 if, during the course of the service, the publisher’s score improves to over 36.

Consistent high-sample audits and re-rates of corrections
Quarterly feedback with notes

Starting Reliability Score of 32 and below: In addition to the requirements for sources with a reliability score of 35 and below, the following will be required.

For the duration of the audit, sources with a reliability rating of 32 and below will be required to add a submission form on their website to allow members of the public to request scoring of articles published prior to engaging with Ad Fontes for an audit.
Ad Fontes will rate all publicly submitted articles. If such articles score below 24 for reliability, the publisher may choose to revise, correct, or retract the article, and if it does, Ad Fontes will re-rate the article in view of the correction.
The news source will be required to publish an editorial policy update indicating that they began an audit with Ad Fontes Media to demonstrate a commitment to enhancing their reliability as a news organization.
Ad Fontes Media will manually rate a minimum of 10% of a publisher’s content during an audit period of at least one year. Publishers would become ineligible for AFM audits if after one year their overall reliability score does not improve to above 36.

Our commitment to independence and ethics: Ad Fontes Media maintains the highest standards of fairness and objectivity in rating publishers, especially since we provide audits as a paid service to publishers. Our analysts will rate all content exactly where they believe it should be rated according to our methodology, no matter whether its publisher is a customer or not. Analysts are actively trained that it is important to be neither lenient nor harsh with any particular publisher. We serve other customers besides publishers who rely on our ratings to be as accurate as possible – namely, news consumers and news advertisers. Further, publishers who are our customers themselves benefit most when our ratings are as accurate as possible. To understand how we maintain these standards and mitigate potential conflicts of interest, please see our Stakeholders Statement.

Article Quality Measurement
for Publishers

Our human + AI article ratings are now available for publishers, advertisers and media stakeholders. This AI technology enables us to more swiftly and accurately rate media content in a landscape where information is generated at an unprecedented speed and scale.

Publishers can use our article ratings to showcase the quality of their own content to advertisers and audiences and create custom segments of their best-scoring content.

To learn more about our human/AI Article Quality Measurement product, contact our sales team.

Newsroom Methodology Training

Great publications always seek to improve the levels of trust that exist between them and the audiences they serve. For editors and journalists, that means striving for the highest standards when it comes to increasing reliability and mitigating bias.

We offer newsroom training sessions on our Ad Fontes Media Content Analysts Methodology, which teaches editors, reporters, writers, and staff what practices increase reliabilty scores and decreases bias scores within our framework.

Our half-day sessions thoroughly cover best practices that, when implemented, have the effect of increasing trust with news consumers. For more information, email us at info@adfontesmedia.com

Receive Ad Fontes Certification for Quality Journalism

For news organizations that reach the top of the media landscape for reliable journalism, we offer Ad Fontes Certification™.

To qualify, you’ll need a score of 40 or higher (out of 64) on the reliability axis of our chart (for scores between 36 and 40, see our Reliable Analysis Certification).

An Ad Fontes Certified™ badge shows audiences and advertisers that the gold standard third-party organization, Ad Fontes Media, has independently verified that your organization adheres to the highest standards of credibility, reliability, and transparency.

The Ad Fontes Certification™ includes:

All stakeholders in Ad Fontes Media have a right to expect that we maintain the highest standards of fairness and objectivity in rating publishers, especially since we provide these certifications and audits as a paid service to publishers. To understand how we maintain these standards and mitigate potential conflicts of interest, please see our Stakeholders Statement.

We also offer individual content audits without a certification badge. Click here for more information.

FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Need more clarity? Read our FAQs.

Q: What does the Ad Fontes Certified License process entail?

Over an 2-4 week period, we will verify your reliability score by conducting ratings of a larger sample of your content based on your publication size, and you’ll be able to use your high-reliabilty rating for commercial purposes right away. Each quarter, we’ll review a new sample and provide you with updated ratings data.

Q: What if our score drops below 40 during the 12 month period after certification?

(More content might be rated as part of our standard operations)
You will no longer be able to use the badge, but you’ll be given a detailed report on why the score dropped.

Q: How are sources chosen for static charts?

A. Static charts mostly display popular sources which are occasionally rotated in and out to keep areas of the chart varied over time. Some areas have more sources than others and therefore see more turnover while other areas may show the same source continually simply because no other source is in that area. New sources are included each month to keep the chart fresh.

Q: Can we choose which months our source appears on a static chart?

A. We will make every effort to grant such requests.

Q: Does Ad Fontes Certification include data on other sources?

A. No, that is a separate product. Find out more here.