{"id":2039964,"date":"2023-09-21T12:07:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T16:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-ratings-firm-trying-to-influence-what-news-sites-you-visit-heavily-favors-left-leaning-outlets-over-conservative-journalism\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T12:12:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T16:12:52","slug":"media-ratings-firm-trying-to-influence-what-news-sites-you-visit-heavily-favors-left-leaning-outlets-over-conservative-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-ratings-firm-trying-to-influence-what-news-sites-you-visit-heavily-favors-left-leaning-outlets-over-conservative-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Media ratings firm heavily favors left-leaning outlets over conservative journalism, influencing your news site preferences."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmedia-ratings-firm-trying-to-influence-what-news-sites-you-visit-heavily-favors-left-leaning-outlets-over-conservative-journalism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2039964&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A Media Ratings Firm\u2063 Heavily Favors\u200b Left-Leaning Outlets, Watchdog Group Finds<\/h2>\n<p>A well-funded media ratings firm, in partnership with Big Tech giant Meta, has \u2063been found to heavily favor Left-leaning \u2064media outlets while giving poor grades to conservative media, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-israel-activists-defend-biden-state-dept-nominee\/\" title=\"Anti-Israel Activists Defend Biden State Dept. Nominee\">media watchdog group<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The firm, called Ad Fontes, was founded in 2018 as a media analysis organization and is known\u200b for its \u2063&#8221;Media Bias Chart,&#8221; which rates over 3,000 media outlets on bias and accuracy. Ad Fontes claims to reach \u200ba non-partisan result by having three reviewers with differing ideological leanings, but the watchdog group \u2064discovered that the reviewers\u200b agree on a single score for a news outlet &#8220;99% of the time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ad Fontes recently gained media attention\u2063 after publishing \u200dits latest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-finds-newsguard-rating-system-still-rigged-in-favor-of-left-wing-outlets\/\" title=\"Study Finds \"Newsguard\" Rating System Still Rigged In Favor This is Left-Wing Outlets\">media bias chart<\/a> and appearing on Fox 5 Washington, \u2063D.C. to promote its \u2064ratings. However, the Media Research Center found that Ad Fontes has its own\u2063 bias problem.<\/p>\n<p>The watchdog&#8217;s study revealed \u200bthat Ad Fontes gave reliable marks to\u200b 64%\u200c of \u2064Left-leaning media outlets, while only giving the same label to 32% of Right-leaning outlets.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This so<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-ratings-firm-trying-to-influence-what-news-sites-you-visit-heavily-favors-left-leaning-outlets-over-conservative-journalism\/\" title=\"Media ratings firm heavily favors left-leaning outlets over conservative journalism, influencing your news site preferences.\">-called media literacy firm<\/a> seems to have worked \u2063overtime to make its rating system look benevolent, \u2063but when you look deeper into the real data, it&#8217;s\u2064 not. The\u200b chart offered to students and advertisers is clearly deceptive \u200band tailor-made\u200d to create a veneer of objectivity,&#8221; said MRC \u200cFree Speech America Vice President Dan\u200b Schneider.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Most mainstream outlets labeled as Left-leaning by Ad Fontes, including CNN, \u200cABC, CBS, NBC, and The New York Times, received reliability grades above 40 on a 64-point scale.\u2063 On the other\u200d hand, Right-leaning outlets such as Fox News, The Washington Examiner, The Daily\u2064 Wire, and Newsmax received less flattering reliability ratings.<\/p>\n<p>Ad Fontes also gave The Washington Post a reliability rating of 38.37, while &#8220;The Ben \u200dShapiro Show&#8221; scored one of the lowest ratings \u200dat \u206324.61.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;No honest American believes the Washington Post is reliable while Ben Shapiro and the Daily Wire are not to be trusted. Ad Fontes&#8217; whole ranking system is a lie aimed at telling\u200d Americans to trust the leftist media and not to trust anyone on the right,&#8221;\u2063 said Brent Bozell, founder and president of the \u2062Media Research Center.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Ad Fontes&#8217; bias may\u200b stem from the political \u2064views of its own leadership. One of the firm&#8217;s top advisers, \u200bBrad Berens, actively supports Left-wing causes and Democratic candidates. However, \u200cAd Fontes founder Vanessa Otero claims that Berens is not \u200dinvolved\u2063 in the day-to-day operations or \u200banalysis of individual articles.<\/p>\n<p>Despite criticism from both the Right and the Left, Otero \u2063maintains that Ad Fontes is trying to mitigate biases as\u2064 much as possible. \u200bThe firm rates NPR News Now as the most reliable and least biased news reporting overall, while The \u200dWall Street Journal is considered the \u2063most reliable on the Right.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The nature \u2062of this work is that we&#8217;re going to get criticism from both sides. You know, it&#8217;s important \u200bto us. We receive it, especially when it&#8217;s in good faith,&#8221; said Otero.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>However, the Media Research Center&#8217;s findings suggest that Ad Fontes&#8217; rating system may not be as objective as it claims, raising\u200b concerns about its influence on students and advertisers.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200c How does Ad \u2064Fontes determine bias and accuracy in its ratings, and what \u2064criticisms has it faced regarding its methodology?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Aid \u200cSara Fischer, a media reporter at Axios and one of the authors of the Media Research Center&#8217;s report.<\/p>\n<p>Ad Fontes has also\u200d faced criticism for its methodology in determining bias and accuracy. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/malinowski-reveals-millions-of-dollars-in-undisclosed-stock-trades\/\" title=\"Malinowski Reveals Millions of Dollars in Undisclosed Stock Trades\">watchdog group found<\/a> that the firm \u2063often labeled media outlets as biased\u2062 without providing \u2062clear evidence to support its claims. Additionally, Ad Fontes \u200drelies heavily on subjective evaluations\u2063 rather than objective criteria.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We \u200bfound that Ad Fontes often uses vague\u200c language and subjective assessments to label \u200bmedia outlets as either leaning left or leaning right. This lack of transparency and objectivity undermines the credibility of\u2062 their \u200dratings,&#8221; said Fischer.<\/p>\n<p>The media watchdog group also pointed out that \u200bAd Fontes has\u2063 close \u2064ties to Big Tech giant\u200d Meta, formerly known as Facebook. The firm received a grant from Meta in 2019, which\u2064 has raised concerns about potential bias in its ratings.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The fact that Ad Fontes has received funding and support from Meta raises questions about the independence and impartiality of its ratings. It is crucial for media ratings firms to maintain objectivity and not be\u2062 influenced\u2064 by external forces,&#8221; Fischer explained.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 influence of media ratings firms, like Ad Fontes, cannot be underestimated. Their ratings are often used by advertisers, educators, and the general public to make decisions about which media outlets to \u2062trust and\u200b engage with.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Media ratings firms play a crucial role in providing information \u2064about the bias and accuracy of media outlets. However, it is imperative that these firms\u2063 maintain transparency, \u2064objectivity,\u200b and independence in their ratings. The public relies on accurate and unbiased information to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-climate-regulations-could-destabilize-grid-electricity-operators-tell-epa\/\" title=\"Electricity operators warn EPA: New climate rules may disrupt grid.\">make informed \u2062decisions<\/a>,&#8221; Fischer emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>The Media Research Center&#8217;s report raises important questions about Ad Fontes and its methodology. It calls for greater transparency and accountability\u200d from \u200bmedia ratings firms to ensure that their ratings are fair, objective, and unbiased.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In an era \u2062of\u2064 increasing polarization and \u2064misinformation, it is essential that media\u2063 ratings firms uphold the highest standards of integrity and accuracy. The public deserves access to reliable and unbiased information. Media ratings firms have a duty to fulfill this responsibility,&#8221; concluded Fischer.<\/p>\n<p>As the \u2064debate about media bias and trust continues, it is crucial \u2064for media consumers to be\u2062 discerning and critical when evaluating the credibility and reliability of media ratings. By seeking diverse perspectives\u2063 and fact-checking information, individuals can make informed decisions\u2064 about the \u2064media outlets they engage with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A media watchdog group discovered that Ad Fontes, a well-funded media ratings firm partnering with Meta, heavily favors Left-leaning media outlets and gives conservative media low grades. Ad Fontes, founded in 2018, is known for its &#8220;Media Bias Chart&#8221; that rates over 3,000 sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":2039965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2039964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2039964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2039965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2039964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2039964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2039964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}