Daily Source Bias Check: Tampa Bay Times

These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias.  They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes) to favor liberal causes.  These sources are generally trustworthy for information, but may require further investigation. See all Left-Center sources.

• Overall, we rate The Tampa Bay Times Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that mostly favor the left. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing of information and a clean fact check record.

Detailed Report

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

History

Founded in 1884, The Tampa Bay Times, previously named the St. Petersburg Times through 2011, is an American broadsheet newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida. The paper has won the Pulitzer Prize 12 times in its history. 

In 2007, the then St. Petersburg Times launched IFCN fact checker Politifact, which also won a Pulitzer for fact checking. In 2018, Politifact was acquired by Poynter Institute. 

Funded by / Ownership

The Tampa Bay Times is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a nonprofit journalism school directly adjacent to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. Poynter is funded by a wide range of donors including The Charles Koch Foundation on the Right and Open Societies Foundation on the Left. The newspaper generates revenue through advertising and subscription fees.

Analysis / Bias

In review, The Tampa Bay Times publishes original news and investigative reporting covering the Tampa Bay and Florida region. National and International news is republished through the Associated Press. Original local and state news is delivered with minimal bias in wording and story selection such as this: Motorcyclist hospitalized, lanes closed after accident on U.S. 19 in Pinellas Park. When covering political news they often report with neutral wording such as this: Ron DeSantis endorses Florida bills allowing college athletes to make money.

Editorially, The Tampa Bay Times typically endorses Democratic candidates. For example, they have endorsed the Democratic Presidential Candidate every time since 1980. Further, in local elections, such as 2018, they endorsed all Democratic candidates. A review of the Opinion section also reveals a left leaning bias with most editorials favorable to liberal polices such as this: Two steps up, one step back on Florida voting rights | Editorial. In general, The Tampa Bay Times reports news factually and with minimal bias, however, editorially they lean moderately left.

A factual search reveals they have not failed a fact check.

Overall, we rate The Tampa Bay Times Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that mostly favor the left. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing of information and a clean fact check record. (D. Van Zandt 5/18/2016) Updated (10/24/2019)

Source: https://www.tampabay.com