Daily Source Bias Check: American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)

These media sources are moderately to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Right Bias sources.

• Overall, we rate the ACLJ as a borderline extreme right wing source that is mixed in factual reporting due to use of poor sources and a mixed fact check record.

Detailed Report

Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: USA
World Press Freedom Rank: USA 48/180

History

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) is a politically conservative, Christian-based social activism and watchdog that is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and associated with Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The ACLJ was founded in 1990 by law school graduate and evangelical minister Pat Robertson to protect constitutional and human rights worldwide. ACLJ generally pursues constitutional issues and conservative Christian ideals in courts of law. The ACLJ arose in part as a right-leaning political answer to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice is Jay Alan Sekulow, who currently serves as one of President Trump’s attorneys.

Funded by / Ownership

The ACLJ is owned by Pat Robertson and funded through donations.

Analysis / Bias

In review, The American Center for Law & Justice has a borderline extreme right wing bias in reporting news on their website. Most stories published are favorable to the christian right and negative toward the left. There is frequent use of loaded words in articles such as this: “Chief Architect of ObamaCare’s Deceit and Pro-Abortion Deception Fired for Fraud.” The ACLJ also has produced a half-true claim via a fact checker. Further, the Southern Poverty Law Center has an article describing how the ACLJ has been opposed to civil rights for homosexuals as evidenced by their drafting of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

Overall, we rate the ACLJ as a borderline extreme right wing source that is mixed in factual reporting due to use of poor sources and a mixed fact check record. (D. Van Zandt 8/29/2017) Updated (10/14/2019)

Source: https://aclj.org/