Heterodox Academy – Bias and Credibility

History

Founded in 2015 by Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology and ethics, and Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, a constitutional law scholar, the Heterodox Academy (HxA) is an advocacy group of academics working to counteract what they see as a lack of viewpoint diversity on college campuses. According to their about page, the “Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a nonpartisan collaborative of 5,000+ professors, educators, administrators, staff, and students committed to enhancing the quality of research and education by promoting open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in institutions of higher learning. All of our members embrace a set of norms and values, which we call “The HxA Way.”

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

The Heterodox Academy is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in New York City. Donations generate revenue, and they are transparent.

Analysis / Bias

The primary mission of the Heterodox Academy is to advocate for diversity of thought and speech on college campuses, especially as it relates to politics. The website provides information on how to promote Heterodoxy through membership. They also offer tools and resources to encourage the “HxA Way.”

“The HxA Way” is a set of guidelines on how to engage with people of differing viewpoints as follows:

• Make your case with evidence.
• Be intellectually charitable
• Be intellectually humble.
• Be constructive.
• Be yourself.

The website features press releases about the organization and a blog/podcast. The blog features research and opinion pieces that appropriately source credible information. Research often explores issues that impact open debate and plurality, such as this Cancel Culture: An International Perspective.

Opinion pieces are correctly labeled and feature diverse progressive and conservative viewpoints. We found that most op-eds stray from the extremes and attempt to present both sides of arguments, such as this Stop Calling “Wokeness” a Religion. After reviewing dozens of opinion pieces, slightly more favor the right in their rejection of cancel culture and antiracism; therefore, we rate them on the right side of Least Biased.

Failed Fact Checks

• None in the Last 5 years. They are occasionally used as a resource for fact-checkers.

Overall, we rate Heterodox Academy slightly right-leaning but still Least Biased based on diverse editorial positions that slightly favor the right. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record. (D. Van Zandt 1/18/2018) Updated (12/23/2022)

Source: https://heterodoxacademy.org