QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.
- Overall, we rate The Council for the National Interest (CNI) Left-Center biased and Questionable based on poor sourcing, a lack of transparency with funding, and one-sided negative reporting on Israel and the Jewish people.
Detailed Report
Questionable Reasoning: Propaganda, Poor Sourcing, Lack of Transparency, Anti-Israel
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
Founded in 1989, The Council for the National Interest (“CNI”) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, non-partisan organization in the United States that works for “Middle East policies that serve the American national interest.” CNI has a pro-Palestine position and is opposed to Neo-Conservatism.
The President of CNI is Alison Weir, a former journalist and the founder of If Americans Knew, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the Israel-Palestine conflict, specializing in statistical analysis. If America Knew has been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for what they deemed anti-Semitic statements, which Alison Weir characterizes as defamation. On the other hand, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has called If Americans Knew “Valuable. “
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
The Council for the National Interest (“CNI”) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit funded through donations. The website does not disclose donors or financial information.
Analysis / Bias
The CNI has a long history of opposing the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and generally favors the Palestinian position. They frequently oppose the funding Israel receives from the United States such as Despite coronavirus-caused cutbacks, Israel expects to get full $3.8 billion. In fact, they have an entire section of the website dedicated to this Cost of Israel to the US.
Editorially, CNI is completely one-sided in its opposition to Israel’s government, and its actions with commentary such as this Tucker Carlson Exposes Zionist Hypocrisy on Immigration. Although it has not been classified as a hate group, some of its staff, including the President, have been cited by the Anti-Defamation League for employing “anti-Semitic imagery and portraying Israel and its agents as ruthless forces that control American policy; through brutal intimidation and deception.” When it comes to politics, they generally do not support President Biden Another Zionist Joins the Biden Team or former President Trump Trump Dances to Israel’s Tune.
Rating CNI on a left-right scale is difficult. The bottom line is they oppose Israel. For that, we rate them Questionable and perhaps left of center in bias.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate The Council for the National Interest (CNI) Left-Center biased and Questionable based on poor sourcing, a lack of transparency with funding, and one-sided negative reporting on Israel and the Jewish people. (D. Van Zandt 4/1/2017) Updated (06/03/2022)
Last Updated on May 22, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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