General Guidelines

Reliability scores for articles and shows are on a scale of 0-64. Sources with overall scores over 40 are the most reliable and have the highest news value in our system.

Bias scores for articles and shows are on a scale of -42 to + 42. Higher negative scores represent more politically left-leaning content, higher positive scores represent more right-leaning content, and scores closer to zero are the most neutral, and/or centrist-leaning, and/or balanced.

We have thousands of examples of exactly what kind of content receives a particular score. To see them, simply hover over and click on any of the dots in the chart. When possible, the links go to the actual articles and shows rated in order to score a source. For example, if you want to see what kind of article scores in the 8-16 range, simply click on one of the dots in that area.

Brief Suggestions on Reliability Scores

Scores between 0-16

Ad Fontes Media strongly recommends that users avoid any sources with an overall reliability score below 16 unless researching misinformation or a similar topic. Sources that score between 0-8 frequently include disinformation, between 8-16 frequently include misinformation.

Scores between 16-24

We also recommend that users seriously considering avoiding news sources below 24 as well. Sources that score between 16-24 are frequently problematic for misinformation and/or other reasons.

Scores between 24-40

There are many reasons sources fall within this range. Some simply have a lot of analysis and opinion content, but they almost never contain misinformation. Others fall in this range because they have a percentage of unremarkable fact-based news content, but it is mixed with occasional misinformation or partial reporting. We recommend planning around these sources in a more cautious way – for example, by examining data points more closely, reading laterally and comparatively on the same topic, etc.

Brief Suggestions on Bias Scores

Note that bias scores are distinct from reliability scores, even though in many cases, they are highly correlated. However, this is not always the case. For example, there are some sources near the bottom of the reliability scale that skew only slightly for bias. There are also sources that score quite high in bias due to partisanship of expression or political position, but they are very unlikely to publish falsehoods.

Please note that our bias scores are meant to be descriptive. There is also no intention in our analysis to determine what should be considered left-wing or right-wing. Our analysis sets scores for this descriptive analysis based on current domestic politics and policy platforms in the United States, and the United States as a whole. We recognize that the meaning of terms like “left” and “right” can vary considerably by time, place, and demographics. What we are analyzing is where the content actually is compared to the prevailing perspectives of the country and of the politics of elected representatives.

Recall that scores below 0 lean left whereas those above 0 lean right.

Scores +/- 6 points from 0

Sources landing in this area generally contain very little political bias when viewed as a whole, or they provide a platform for left- and right-leaning perspectives nearly equally, or their prevailing political perspective is quite centrist.

Scores between 6 and 18 points from 0

Sources landing in this area on our bias ratings tend to choose the phrasing, story selection, and/or political positions associated with voters and representatives that lean left or right, with +/- 18 representing roughly the “center” of a left-leaning or right-leaning platform.

Scores between 18 and 30 points from 0

Sources with bias scores beyond 18 points from 0 fall in what we call the “hyper-partisan left” and “hyper-partisan right” categories. Whereas a score of 18 points from 0 represents roughly the “center” of left- or right-leaning elected officials in the United States, sources scoring between 18 and 30 tend to use the phrasing, story selection, and/or political positions associated with the more partisan elected officials of their party.  Note that while +/- 30 may represent the edge of electability in national politics, at this stage, the use of highly polarizing and even demonizing language is not entirely uncommon.

Sources beyond 30 points from 0

These sources are considered politically “extreme” in the sense that they frequently represent perspectives and/or modes of expression that fall outside the range of widescale electability in the United States.

For More Detail

For a more detailed description of our methodology, please consult the latest edition of our Content Analysis White Paper. You can also watch some clips of an actual Ad Fontes Media rating session in the video that follows.