Overview

Ad Fontes Media rates ProPublica in the Skews Left category of bias and as Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting in terms of reliability. ProPublica is a non-profit organization that focuses on investigative journalism. Its mission is to shine the light on “abuses of power and betrayals of public trust.” It was founded in 2007 and is based in New York City. ProPublica has won six Pulitzer Prizes, in addition to several other awards.

Overall Score

The following are the overall bias and reliability scores for ProPublica according to our Ad Fontes Media ratings methodology.

Reliability: 47.21

Bias: -6.79

Panels of analysts from Ad Fontes Media regularly review representative sample content to rate it for reliability and bias. Each panel of analysts comprises one left-leaning, one right-leaning, and one center-leaning analyst.

The team considers a variety of factors when rating content. To determine its reliability score, we consider the content’s veracity, expression, its title/headline, and graphics. We add each of these scores to the chart on a weighted scale, with the average of those creating the sample content’s overall reliability score.

To determine sample content’s bias score, we consider its language, its political position, and how it compares to other reporting or analysis from other sources on the same topic. We add each of these scores to the chart on a weighted scale, with the average of those creating the content’s overall bias score.

The bias rating, demonstrated on the Media Bias Chart^®️ on the horizontal axis, ranges from most extreme left to middle to most extreme right. The reliability rating, demonstrated on the chart’s vertical axis, rates sources on a scale from original fact reporting to analysis, opinion, propaganda and inaccurate/fabricated information.

Reliability scores for articles and shows are on a scale of 0-64. Scores above 40 are generally good; scores below 24 are generally problematic. Scores between 24-40 indicate a range of possibilities, with some sources falling there because they are heavy in opinion and analysis, and some because they have a high variation in reliability between articles.

Bias scores for articles and shows are on a scale of -42 to +42, with higher negative scores being more left, higher positive scores being more right, and scores closer to zero being minimally biased, equally balanced, or exhibiting a centrist bias.

Individual Content Sample Scores

These are the most recent content samples that Ad Fontes Media analysts have rated for this source.

Content Sample URL	Bias	Reliability
Iconic Gun-Makers Gave Sensitive Customer Information to Political Operatives — ProPublica	-8	52.33
Louisiana Judges Systematically Ignored Prisoners’ Petitions Without Review — ProPublica	-15.67	51
Inside the State Department’s Weapons Pipeline to Israel	-8.33	48.67
How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe	-1	55.67
Former Foster Youth Are Eligible for Federal Housing Aid. Georgia Isn’t Helping Them Get It.	-1	54.33
Philips Kept Complaints About Dangerous Breathing Machines Secret While Company Profits Soared	0	54.33
The GOP’s Secret to Protecting Gerrymandered Electoral Maps? Claim Privilege.	-11.67	47.67
California Oil Companies Face Tougher Enforcement Under New Law	-6.67	45.67
Western States Opposed Tribes’ Access to the Colorado River 70 Years Ago. History Is Repeating Itself.	-7	53.67
We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s Supreme Court Supermajority	-7.33	54.33
Maternal Deaths Are Expected to Rise Under Abortion Bans, but the Increase May Be Hard to Measure	-2.67	42.67
Their Families Said They Needed Treatment. Mississippi Officials Threw Them in Jail Without Charges.	-1.67	55.33
The Night Raids	-9.33	56.33
What to Know About Cellphone Radiation	-5	43
Websites Selling Abortion Pills Are Sharing Sensitive Data With Google	-7.67	50.33
Clarence Thomas Secretly Accepted Luxury Trips From GOP Donor — ProPublica	-10.67	46
Overinflated: The Journey of a Humble Tire Reveals Why Prices Are Still So High	0	52.33
NYC Schools Handcuff and Haul Away Kids in Emotional Crisis	-9.67	47
Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition.	-7	39
Life-Giving but Lethal: The Culprit Behind Dead Zones and the Threat to Our Water Supply	-3.33	46.33
Clarence Thomas Didn’t Disclose Harlan Crow Real Estate Deal — ProPublica	-8.67	45.33
Some Are Jailed in Mississippi for Months Without a Lawyer. The State Supreme Court Just Barred That.	-2.33	44.67
The Reopening That Wasn’t: As Government Employees Work From Home, People Find Services Curtailed	0	44.33
New York Prosecutors Ignored Tainted Evidence Used Against Spanish-Speaking Drivers for Years	0	47
Wealthy Executives Make Millions Trading Competitors’ Stock With Remarkable Timing	-3	54.67