Daily Source Bias Check: The Guardian

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 Guardian Left-Center biased based on story selection that moderately favors the left and Mostly Factual in reporting, rather than High due to a couple of failed fact checks. 

Detailed Report

Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL
Country: United Kingdom
World Press Freedom Rank: UK 33/180

History

Launched in 1821, The Guardian is a British daily newspaper published in London UK. Its original name is The Manchester Guardian and it was founded by cotton merchant John Edward Taylor. Taylor’s nephew Charles Prestwich Scott (CP Scott) was the first editor and later became the owner of the paper (1846 –1932). He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament. After CP Scott, his son John Russell Scott became the Manchester Guardian’s manager and founder of the Scott Trust. The Manchester Guardian was renamed the Guardian in 1959. In 1993 the Guardian Media Group acquired the Observer.

The Guardian US was launched in 2011, in New York. The Guardian also has an Australia Edition (Launched 2013, digital edition) and an International edition. Each edition can be viewed above the logo under the tab “edition”. The Guardian focuses on politics, policy, business and international relations. Their coverage includes: News and Opinion, Sports, Culture, Lifestyle, Podcasts and more.

Katharine Viner is the editor-in-chief of the Guardian since 2015.  Evelyn Webster is CEO of Guardian US. John Mulholland is the editor of the Guardian US. You can view  the Guardian U.S editorial team here.

Read our country and media profile.

Funded by / Ownership

The Guardian and its sister publication, Sunday newspaper The Observer, are both owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936, to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). The Guardian states that “The Scott Trust is the sole shareholder in Guardian Media Group and its profits are reinvested in journalism and do not benefit a proprietor or shareholders.” The Guardian is funded through donations and an advertising model.

The Guardian switched to a tabloid print format in 2018 in order to cut costs. According to The New York Times, The Guardian “refused to set up a paywall — the preferred strategy of many of its rivals, from The Times of London to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times — opting instead to ask its readers for donations, even setting up a nonprofit arm to help fund its journalism.”

Analysis / Bias

Throughout its history, The Guardian has always been a left-wing publication as they have stated in various articles.

In review, story selection favors the left, but is generally factual. They utilize emotionally loaded headlines such as “The cashless society is a con – and big finance is behind it” and “Trump back-pedals on Russian meddling remarks after outcry”.  The Guardian typically utilizes credible sources such as thoughtco.com, gov.UK, HuffPost, independent.co.uk, and the Miami Herald.

A 2014 Pew Research Survey found that 72% of The Guardian’s audience is consistently or mostly liberal, 20% Mixed and 9% consistently or mostly conservative. This indicates that The Guardian is strongly preferred by a more liberal audience.

Failed Fact Checks

• Poll about support for violence against MPs is flawed – Incorrect
• Is everything you think you know about depression wrong? – False

Overall, we rate The Guardian Left-Center biased based on story selection that moderately favors the left and Mostly Factual in reporting, rather than High due to a couple of failed fact checks.  (5/18/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 04/07/2020)

Source: https://www.theguardian.com