Double Down News (DDN) - Bias and Credibility

LEFT BIAS

These media sources are moderately 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 Double Down News (DDN) as Left biased based on advocacy and editorial positions that favor a progressive perspective. We also rate them as Mixed for factual reporting due to lack of transparency with ownership, the occasional reliance on poor sources, and one-sided reporting that may omit important information.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: LEFT
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: United Kingdom
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY

History

Double Down News (DDN) is a British alternative media outlet established in 2017, focusing on interviews, films, and short films from a progressive perspective. Prominent figures on the DDN “People” page include George Monbiot, Jeremy Corbyn, Gary Younge, Chris Packham, Yanis Varoufakis, Naomi Klein, and Glenn Greenwald. DDN’s mission is to “serve people, not power,” emphasizing empathy, evidence, and community engagement.

Read our profile on the United Kingdom media and government.

Funded by / Ownership

DDN does not indicate who owns them. They are funded through Patreon donations.

Analysis / Bias

DDN advocates for progressive social causes, including racial justice, economic justice, and civil rights. Their reporting often employs emotionally loaded language, as seen in headlines like “The Enemy of the Working Class Travels by Private Jet, not Migrant Dinghy.” Without direct sources in DDN’s content, checking specific claims is difficult. Yet, we could confirm several important points with existing data, including the UK’s role in arms exports, COVID-19 impacts, and socio-economic issues.

Second Largest Arms Exporter. This claim is accurate. The UK is the second largest global defense exporter after the USA, with substantial export sales over the years.
The UK is the Second Largest Arms Exporter. This claim is accurate. The UK is the second largest global defense exporter after the USA, with substantial export sales over the years.
UK’s COVID-Death Toll in Europe: The statement about the UK having the worst COVID-19 toll in Europe is partially accurate; the UK had a high COVID-19 death toll but ranked 14th in Europe when adjusted for population size as of May 2021.
Conservative Party Tax Cuts: The claim about the Conservative-led government’s tax cuts is partly true but lacks context.

The second video analyzed, “Israel & The Myth of ‘Self Defence,” portrays the Israel-Palestine conflict from a Palestinian perspective, using emotionally loaded language like “crimes against humanity” and “wipe Gaza out” to provoke emotional reactions and emphasize Palestinian suffering reflects a bias towards the Palestinian cause and criticism of Israeli policies. For this video analysis from DDN, we confirmed some key points with existing data, including the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Hamas’ violations of international law, and the impact of Israeli military actions in Gaza.

Israeli Settlers: There are currently about 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 279 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Hamas’ Actions Against Civilians: The claim that Hamas has committed crimes against humanity is supported by statements from the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, who declared that Hamas has committed war crimes against the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Amnesty International also documents violations of international law by Hamas, including war crimes, such as hostage-taking and the abduction of civilians, which are prohibited by international law.
Israeli Actions in Gaza: Amnesty International documented Israeli forces’ actions in Gaza, causing significant civilian casualties and property destruction, including the killing of more than 10,000 Palestinians, including 4,200 children, as reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Although most information on the website is rooted in facts, they have given a voice to a known purveyor of misinformation regarding Covid-19 vaccines, Dr. Aseem Malhotra. Dr. Malhotra has a poor fact-check record, often spreading inaccurate information about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines. In general, Double Down News holds a progressive left editorial bias and presents information in a one-sided fashion.

Failed Fact Checks

None in the Last 5 years

Overall, we rate Double Down News (DDN) as Left biased based on advocacy and editorial positions that favor a progressive perspective. We also rate them as Mixed for factual reporting due to lack of transparency with ownership, the occasional reliance on poor sources, and one-sided reporting that may omit important information. (M. Huitsing 11/25/2023)

Source: https://www.doubledown.news/

Last Updated on March 29, 2024 by Media Bias Fact Check