Politifact Bias and Reliability

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Compare the scores of Politifact to other sources on our free Interactive Media Bias Chart®️. Click Here!

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Bias: Middle

Reliability: Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting

Overall Score

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

Bias: -3.49

Reliability: 44.70

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.

Reliability scores for articles and shows are on a scale of 0-64. Scores above 36 are generally good; scores below 24 are generally problematic. Scores between 24-36 indicate a range of possibilities, with some sources falling there because they are heavy in opinion and/or analysis, and some because they have a high variation in reliability between content pieces.

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 the bias score of a piece of content, we consider its language, its political position, and how it compares to other reporting 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 source’s overall bias score.

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 source’s overall reliability score.

The bias rating, demonstrated on the horizontal axis of the Media Bias Chart®️, 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, selective/incomplete, misleading, and inaccurate/fabricated information.

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
Fact-checking claims about missing, dead scientists: Were they researching UFOs, nuclear weapons?0.046.67
Fact-checking Trump’s claims on Tylenol, autism and vaccines-644.67
What Supreme Court’s immunity ruling means for Trump’s cases and, potentially, future presidents-6.3346.0
Claim misrepresents California bill about parental notification for LGBTQ+ students-245.0
The Wall Street Journal didn’t report that an American missile caused deadly Gaza hospital blast0.044.33
Trump’s indictment, explained: Falsifying business records, prosecutors’ challenges, and what’s next-640.67
Indictment of a president was unprecedented before Trump in the U.S., but not other countries-245.0
Don't fall for these fake Donald Trump mug shots. He didn't take one.0.039.33
Fact-checking Trump’s post-indictment speech at Mar-a-Lago-2.3346.67
Stormy Daniels’ order to pay Trump in failed defamation lawsuit is unrelated to NY case2.3346.0
No, Tammy Baldwin isn’t trying to take away Social Security and Medicare-3.6745.0
Fact-checking 6 claims in Joe Biden’s budget speech on the economy, taxes and Medicare1.044.67
No, Vladimir Putin didn’t order COVID-19 vaccines to be destroyed in Russia0.044.0
The U.S. did not double oil imports from Russia in the last year-5.6736.0
Hunter Biden paid $50,000 in rent for office space in DC, not to his father to live at Delaware home-1.6744.0
Fact-checking Joe Biden’s speech about democracy before the 2022 midterms-12.6740.67
GOP claim on tax hikes in Democratic bill doesn’t factor in subsidies, savings0.040.67
Trump says Watergate burglary and search of Mar-a-Lago were similar. They’re not-142.33
Gateway Pundit distorts unofficial Georgia 2020 results-3.6746.0
ABC News didn’t use an altered photo of the Uvalde school shooter to make him look more Caucasian0.048.67
Voting machine malfunction in New Jersey isn’t evidence of fraud0.045.33
Rick Scott blames Democrats for expanding the debt. But it was a bipartisan feat-2.6747.67
Fact-checking Joe Biden on U.S. credibility as military withdraws from Afghanistan0.6745.67
What was the Contingency and Crisis Response bureau? Examining the Trump-era proposal-3.6740.67
Joe Biden is wrong when he says car prices are back to pre-pandemic levels0.043.0