Fox News (foxnews.com) – Bias and Credibility

Fox News - Right Bias - Conservative - Republican - MAGA - Propaganda - Not CredibleFactual Reporting: Low - Not Credible - Not Reliable - Fake News - Bias


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 Fox News right-biased based on editorial positions that align with the right and Questionable due to the promotion of state propaganda, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, the use of poor sources, and numerous false claims and failed fact checks. While straight news reporting from beat reporters is generally fact-based and accurate, it is typically overshadowed by propagandistic opinions,  which earns them a Low factual rating.

Detailed Report

Questionable Reasoning: Conspiracy Theories, Pseudoscience, State Propaganda, Poor Sources, Numerous Failed Fact Checks
Bias Rating: RIGHT (8.0)
Factual Reporting: LOW (7.6)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: TV Station/Website
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY

History

Fox News is an American basic cable and satellite news channel founded in 1996 by Rupert Murdoch. The Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, owns Fox News. FNC is available in 90+ million homes and operates the Fox Business Network and Fox News Radio. They also own the National Geographic Channel and broadcasts from New York, NY.
 
Roger Ailes was the founding CEO. Roger Ailes resigned in 2016 after many accusations of sexual harassment. Jay Wallace became president of the network, and Suzanne Scott, the CEO of FNC, as of May 2018. She will report to Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch. Lachlan Murdoch is the executive chairman and co-chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox (FOXA).
 
In October 2018, Fox News added to their terms of use, “Company furnishes the Company Sites and the Company Services for your personal enjoyment and entertainment.” This has led some to declare that Fox News is now an entertainment company and does not have to uphold journalistic standards. This is not true.

On 6/13/2020, Fox News ran digitato coverages in coverage of Seattle’s protests, Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.

On 12/12/2021 – 18-year, veteran journalist Chris Wallace resigned from Fox News and joined CNN.

On 12/13/2021, it was reported that on January 6th, 2021, several Fox TV personalities texted Trump’s Chief of staff, Mark Meadows, to encourage Trump to stop the Capitol Riot, which contradicted their reporting later that evening that Antifa was involved in a false flag.

In 2022, Fox News was sued for Defamation by Dominion Voting Systems for 1.6 billion dollars due to alleged false claims and conspiracy theories related to the companies voting machines in the 2020 presidential election. According to the lawsuit’s court docket, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Jeannine Pirro, and former Fox Business host Lou Dobbs will be deposed.

On 04/18/2023, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit for $787 million where they were accused of promoting false claims and conspiracy theories against Dominion Voting Systems during the 2020 elections. A statement by Fox reads as follows:



“We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems,” the network said Tuesday in a statement. “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues.”

On 4/24/2023, Tucker Carlson, the top-rated prime-time news host, left Fox News for undisclosed reasons.

Finally, under the second Trump administration, Fox News has increasingly been described as operating less like an independent news outlet and more like a state propaganda network. Multiple analyses have noted a feedback loop in which Fox shapes Trump’s rhetoric while simultaneously amplifying his agenda, creating near-synchrony between the White House and the network’s coverage. Reports also highlight the revolving door between Fox personnel and Trump officials, further blurring the line between journalism and political messaging. Critics argue this alignment has effectively turned Fox into a platform that prioritizes advancing administration narratives over independent reporting.

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

Rupert Murdoch is the owner and a board member of News Corp 21st Century Fox. According to Reuters, James Murdoch (son) was chief executive of 21st Century Fox and left in May 2018. Lachlan (the other son of Murdoch) and Rupert Murdoch will serve as the new Fox co-chairman. Revenue analysis can be found at Investopedia, and income reports here.  

Analysis

According to a Pew Research Center survey, “Fox News was the main source for 40% of Trump voters” during the 2016 election. Further, another Pew Survey indicates, “When it comes to choosing a media source for political news, conservatives orient strongly around Fox News. Nearly half of consistent conservatives (47%) name it as their main source for government and political news.” Further, a Reuters Institute survey found that 35% of respondents trust their news coverage and 46% do not, ranking them #11 in trust among the major USA news providers.

Fox News typically looks at the issues from a conservative perspective. Also, it has several on-air personalities that are strong supporters of former President Trump, such as Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson (former), Laura Ingraham, and Dan Bongino (former); thus, during the Trump Presidency, FNC typically skewed conservative as there was less criticism of Trump.

Bias

In review, FNC publishes stories with emotionally loaded headlines such as Biden says ‘MAGA Republicans’ threaten democracy as he and Dems crank up anti-Trump rhetoric ahead of midterms and White House defends slamming half of America as ‘semi-fascist,’ ‘terrorists’ despite Biden’s unity pledge.

After the 2020 election, Fox News TV personalities advanced false and unproven conspiracy theories regarding election fraud Questions linger over the Left’s plot against Donald Trump. Numerous audits and studies reveal that election fraud during the 2020 election was average and had no impact on the election’s outcome. Further, as noted above, they promoted conspiracy theories related to Dominion Voting Machines.

TV personalities also advanced false claims and conspiracies on the following issues: No guns at the capitol riot (False), Trump authorized the National Guard for the Capitol Riot (No Evidence), FBI orchestrated insurrection (False), The USA funds Biolabs in Ukraine (False), Numerous instances of Covid-19 vaccine disinformation (False). Further, according to Politifact, FNC has also been deemed the least accurate cable news source.

Finally, Fox News also features fact-based news reporting by beat reporters and some daytime TV hosts. However, this credible news reporting is buried between TV programming promoting right-leaning propaganda and false claims. The website is similar, with credible news stories between hyper-partisan, questionable content from their nighttime TV hosts.

In general, Fox News’ beat reporters produce low-biased fact-based news; however, the reporting on their entertainment-based news programming frequently promotes propaganda and false claims that render Fox News Questionable. In short, Fox News is essentially the state’s official propaganda platform.

Failed Fact Checks

What is the Bias of Fox News?

Overall, we rate Fox News right-biased based on editorial positions that align with the right and Questionable due to the promotion of state propaganda, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, the use of poor sources, and numerous false claims and failed fact checks. While straight news reporting from beat reporters is generally fact-based and accurate, it is typically overshadowed by propagandistic opinions,  which earns them a Low factual rating. (7/19/2016) Updated (M. Huitsing 09/26/2025)

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/

This poll is for entertainment purposes and does not change our overall rating.

Last Updated on September 26, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check


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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources

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16 Comments
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Nathan Kosovich

does this also count for the news channel?

cymbalclash

Good

Donny player

You’re going to have to put every major liberal network as Propaganda due to their lying about the Biden Laptop and the Russian Collusion the democrats pushed for 6 years.

Oh and them claiming the republicans stole the 2016 election? Remember how that was proven false but liberal networks still push it as fact?

Every liberal network claiming Biden was mentally fit for office?

No? Hello? Is this thing on?

Last edited 10 months ago by Donny player
The Truth

bruh this site itself is a bit left-leaning

The Truth

Thomas thinks that fox news is Righht-Center
I think that fox news is also Right-Center

aberni Madoff

mixed rating for reliability? disgraceful, you list dozens of lies. ever hear the story of the boy who cried wolf. you can’t be a truthful source and also a liar, they’re just liars. just because a broken clock is right 2x a day doesn’t mean you can use the clock to tell the time. disgusting

Richard Babylon

Nathan Kosovich asks a good question. With the exception of straight, unhosted video (a live accident scene or Congressional hearing, for example, where the video provides unedited, empirical evidence of an event) I’m far more trusting of print/textual sources than edited video sources where a host is involved. That’s especially true for disreputable, fearmongering opinion/propaganda hosts like Hannity, Ingraham, or Bartiromo (and formerly, Tucker Carlson — good riddance)! Textual media is far less prone to that kind of sensationalism and even melodrama. I dare say thinkers tend to read news, at least sometimes, for that reason. But I understand the appeal of easily-digestible and “entertaining” video sources.

But more to the point, Fox News, like other TV channels/networks, is an amalgam of shows, each with varying degrees of bias and reliability, and therefore probably invites a more granular breakdown. Ad Fontes Media, who MBFC (honorably) reviewed years ago only because many people requested it, and who they refer to as “a friend or competitor depending on how you view it” does this. They break down Fox News into its constituent shows. I have great respect for both analysis services, support them both, and hope they both thrive for a great many years, as they provide independent and critically important services for us all. It turns out they also have a similar overall assessment of Fox News, but Ad Fontes rates the website as somewhat less biased and somewhat more reliable than the TV channel.

“aberni Madoff,” you’re correct about the incessant disinformation, and yes, a great deal of it is lying. But I think it’s important to realize there’s also a lot of cleverly deceitful implying, exaggerating and simple sloppiness involved at Fox News — like the failure to vet stories before they’re reported, as Hannity has even admitted! Not all falsehoods are lies. Not all disinformation or persuasion is lying. And, with all that said, it has to be acknowledged that Fox News does also report facts. The problem is that they’re all mixed in with the falsehoods. The decision makers are smart enough to realize that this — as well as “News” in the channel name — gives Fox News a veneer of credibility. The same thing goes on with many other “news” outlets, some even worse, like OAN or Newsmax. But the mix of fact and opinion/propaganda certainly happens on the left, as well.

Along with the three examples of talking scum who I mentioned in my first paragraph, there is a straight news aspect to Fox News, as mentioned in the last sentence of the MBFC analysis: “Straight news reporting from beat reporters is generally fact-based and accurate, which earns them a Mixed factual rating.”

“aberni Madoff,” you may just need to rethink what “mixed” means. For me, personally, “Mostly factual” is the lowest I will go when choosing to invest my time in a news source, precisely because “mixed” isn’t good enough. But that doesn’t mean MBFC should ignore the factual aspect and slap a “BAD” label on Fox News, as many people (even myself) have. That would be an emotional reaction, which I could easily get from anybody, not a professional one that’s based on careful analysis. Remember also that, aside from relatively trustworthy Fox News hosts like Neil Cavuto (currently rated by MBFC as right-center, high factual reporting, high credibility), Bret Baier (right-center, mostly factual, high credibility), and previously Shepard Smith, perhaps among others, there are also some guests on various Fox News shows who are quick to point out flawed thinking in the hosts.

Too many people, understandably but unfortunately, want to oversimplify everything to binary “good/bad” viewpoints. Another example is “truth/lies,” as I touched on above.

Even Donald Trump, who incessantly spreads disinformation, and who lies habitually & frequently, is not always lying when he’s spreading falsehoods. He’s just dumb enough, gullible enough, and self-delusional enough to believe a lot of the nonsense he thinks!!

He’s corrupt as hell, but he’s not always lying. Fox News is unreliable as hell, but they’re not always lying, and they’re not always wrong. I just don’t support either one, because my standards for truth and the full picture are apparently much higher than theirs.

These are points I’ve tried to make to many people. We need a lot more nuanced and spectrum thinking in our discourse if we ever hope to have some rationality & understanding again, and less division, distrust, and hatred.

lebron James

@Richard Babylon
I hate u.

Lehuzz James

@Richard Babylon
KYS

FanHarris

Fow news is very bias and I support this page and why are ppl righting paragraphs abt this stuff

Jamie H

“This site is left-leaning” I wonder why, lol. The lack of self awareness modern right-wingers have is incredible.

Micah A

Unrelated, but since there’s no comment section over there, please update We Got This Covered. They’re very political now.

Sean Anderson

if you think this site is left leaning, other right leaning news outlets got a better reliability score than fox and especially newsmax

Larry Kidd

I stumbled across this website looking for something else. I’m a news junkie and watch both conservative and liberal news sites.

I found your website to be mostly bias not because you lean to the left, which you do, but because every conservative news station per your little chart did not score well, yet most of the liberal news sites scored better.

I argue all of them, liberal or conservative, should be in the low postion on your basic ranking system. All news stations lie, exaggerate, and omit portions of the truth!!!!!!! It’s called ratings.

All news personalities, liberal or conservative, are just like politicians anytime they open the hole under their nose garbage is going to spew out.

Evelyn

Fuck fox, they are serial liars, the biggest propagators of misinformation in the US, and have ruined this country, it must be sad to be a conservative, always scared of our constantly changing world and their only joy gained from the suffering of the trans kids they’ve killed. Also to those who think this website is biased, that’s because reality, facts, truth, science, and morality itself all lean to the left. Fox news is funny sometimes though I’ll give them that, not when their intending to be funny though.

JJ Babs

You didn’t list MSNBC as a “Questionable Source”

They’ve had to apologize publicly at least 6 times for making up “news”. As another person mentioned, MSNBC should be listed as Propaganda, since they misreport almost every item they present. A glaring example is Maddow uneqivically saying “If you get the vaccine, COVID stops.” We now know that’s not so, so what was her scientific proof?