LEFT-CENTER BIAS
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 appeals 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 ABC News Australia as left-center Biased based on story selection that moderately favors the left and High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and being a certified fact-checker.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: Australia
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: TV Station
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
ABC launched in 1932. ABC News is the news division of The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), established on 22 July 2010.
They are headquartered in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Justin Milne, former ABC chairman, resigned after allegations that he compromised the independence of ABC by asking managing director Michelle Guthrie to fire the chief economics correspondent, Emma Alberici, and the political editor, Andrew Probyn, due to the government not liking them.
“They [the government] hate her,” Milne wrote in a leaked email about Alberici. “Get rid of her.”
According to a Guardian article, Milne is also a close friend of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (Liberal Party/Centre-Right).
Dr. Kirstin Ferguson is the Acting Chair. The Board appoints the Managing Director, and David Anderson is the acting Managing Director. According to their about page, “Up to seven Directors are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Government.” Here is the complete list of the Board members and the appointment process.
Read our profile on Australia Media and Government
Funded by / Ownership
ABC is funded mainly by the Australian government, and in 2018, funding for ABC was cut by $84m. The website does not feature advertising.
Analysis / Bias
In review, ABC News uses emotionally loaded headlines about US Politics, such as this “Donald Trump kicked off his re-election campaign by making socialism into 2020’s dirty word.” ABC News has a section underworld news dedicated to US news titled “Trump’s America,” with most stories being Anti-Trump. When it comes to national politics, ABC News publishes articles with loaded headlines and would criticize the former center-right government “Scott Morrison said all the right things after Christchurch attack, but his history tells another story.” Further, ABC News sources its information from credible sources such as judiciary.house.gov, NPR, Gallup, NY Times, Sky News, Reuters, and the Associated Press.
Finally, a Reuters Institute survey found that 70% of respondents trust their news coverage and 12% do not, ranking them #1 in trust of the major Australian news providers.
Failed Fact Checks
- A factual search reveals that ABC News Australia has not failed a fact check. In fact, they are a fact-checker and a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) through a partnership with RMIT University.
Overall, we rate ABC News Australia as left-center Biased based on story selection that moderately favors the left and High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and being a certified fact-checker. (12/9/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 09/30/2023)
Source: https://www.abc.net.au
Last Updated on September 30, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources