LEFT BIAS
These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward liberal 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 information reporting that may damage liberal causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Left Bias sources.
- Overall, we rate the American Democracy Scorecard as Left-biased for its focus on progressive issues like voting rights and critiques of corporate donations to opposing lawmakers. It is rated Mostly Factual in reporting due to selective framing and a lack of transparency in funding.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
The American Democracy Scorecard was launched by Accountable.US, a nonprofit watchdog organization, to evaluate large corporations based on their support for democratic values. The Scorecard grades companies on key issues such as voting rights, election integrity, and political spending, specifically focusing on whether their actions align with pro-democracy principles. The goal is to provide transparency to consumers and stakeholders about corporate behaviors around democracy and voting.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
The American Democracy Scorecard is operated by Accountable.US, which receives funding from philanthropic foundations and donors with a progressive-leaning agenda. However, specific information about funding for the Scorecard itself is not directly disclosed.
Analysis / Bias
The American Democracy Scorecard evaluates U.S. corporations based on their statements, political contributions, and actions related to key democracy issues, such as voting rights, election integrity, and responses to January 6. The Scorecard highlights where corporate actions may diverge from public statements. The interactive tool allows users to view detailed breakdowns of companies’ scores, filter by specific criteria, and explore contributions tied to these key issues. This structure provides transparency in corporate behavior.
For example, according to the American Democracy Scorecard, Alphabet (Google) received an “F” rating. This score was based on Alphabet’s political contributions, including over $270,000 to members of Congress who opposed federal voting rights legislation and $250,000 to lawmakers who opposed the January 6 committee. American Democracy Scorecard also considers whether the company’s public statements, actions, and affiliations align with its political donations. So, Alphabet’s failure to participate in key voting rights coalitions like the Civic Alliance and financial contributions to lawmakers who oppose key democracy-related issues likely contributed to its failing grade. This combination of factors presents a picture of inconsistency between Alphabet’s stated values and its actual actions.
Amazon also received an “F” rating for similar reasons. While the company publicly condemned the January 6 attack and pledged to review its contributions, Amazon still contributed over $400,000 to lawmakers who opposed federal voting rights legislation and at least $4,500 to state officials supporting anti-voter laws, creating a disconnect between Amazon’s public stance and political contributions. Despite its involvement in initiatives like Business for Voting Rights, the Scorecard criticizes Amazon for financially supporting lawmakers with opposing views.
The Democracy Scorecard sources its corporate evaluations from publicly available statements, including social media posts by Kent Walker, Global Affairs President at Alphabet, political contributions databases like Accountable.US, and news reports from outlets like the New York Times. However, some links, like the Democracy Works Blog, are inaccessible, limiting the verification of specific claims.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate the American Democracy Scorecard as Left-biased for its focus on progressive issues like voting rights and critiques of corporate donations to opposing lawmakers. It is rated Mostly Factual in reporting due to selective framing and a lack of transparency in funding. (M. Huitsing 09/06/2024)
Source: https://www.americandemocracyscorecard.org/
Last Updated on September 6, 2024 by Media Bias Fact Check
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