Fraser Institute – Bias and Credibility

These media sources are slightly to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes) to favor conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information, but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.

• Overall, we rate Fraser Institute as strongly Right-Center biased based on policy positions that favor business and Mixed for factual reporting due to false and misleading claims regarding global warming.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: RIGHT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: Canada
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: EXCELLENT
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY

History

Founded in 1974, The Fraser Institute is a Canadian public policy think tank and registered charity. It has been described as politically conservative and libertarian. The Institute is headquartered in Vancouver, with offices also located in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal, and tied to a global network of conservative think tanks through the State Policy Network.

Read our profile on the Canadian government’s influence on media.

Funded by / Ownership

The Fraser Institute depends on contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. It does not accept government grants or payments for research; however, individual donors may claim tax credits for donations, and corporate donors may claim tax deductions. The Institute has received donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars from foundations controlled by Charles and David Koch, with total donations estimated to be approximately $765,000 from 2006 to 2016. It also received US$120,000 from ExxonMobil in 2003 to 2004 fiscal period.

Analysis / Bias

According to their about page Fraser Institute’s “research is peer-reviewed and overseen by an Editorial Advisory Board of leading international scholars. The Fraser Institute promotes transparency in research – in other words, our methodology is open and clearly explained, and others can replicate our conclusions. In addition, the source of our data is always provided.”

In review, the website features research, education programs, an economic freedom map, school rankings, and a blog. The primary focus is on a limited government and Libertarian policy. News reporting utilizes minimal loaded words such as this: Assessing Canada’s Energy Sector Competitiveness: Collected Essays. This summary comes from a 54 page report that is well-sourced.

The blog features opinions such as this: Our eighth-best carbon policies. This article is properly sourced to the National Post. When it comes to science, the Fraser Institute does not support the consensus of science through the publication of false or misleading stories. For example, in this article (Climate Policy Implications of the Hiatus in Global Warming), they make the false claim that global warming has not increased significantly since 1998. This year is frequently cherry-picked due to it being the warmest year on record at that time, and has been debunked for years. Other articles on the website also minimize the impact of climate change. In general, they are usually reliable for credible libertarian-leaning news; however, they do not always report factually when it comes to scientific issues.

Failed Fact Checks

• None in the last 5 years

Overall, we rate Fraser Institute as strongly Right-Center biased based on policy positions that favor business and Mixed for factual reporting due to false and misleading claims regarding global warming. (D. Van Zandt 9/9/2017) Updated (11/04/2022)

Source: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/