Human Progress – 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 appealing 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 Human Progress Right-Center Biased based on the promotion of free-market capitalism and Libertarian perspectives. We also rate them as Mostly Factual in reporting, rather than High, due to misleading reporting on climate change; otherwise, this is a reliable source.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: RIGHT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY

History

Human Progress is a part of the Cato Institute, which is an interactive data web project that catalogs increases in prosperity driven by the free market. Human Progress attempts to show how capitalism and free markets have led to progress for humanity. According to their about page, they state, “Whereas we think that policies and institutions compatible with freedom and openness are important factors in promoting human well-being, we let the evidence speak for itself.”

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

Human Progress is a project of the Cato Institute and states they receive “major support from the John Templeton Foundation and the Searle Freedom Trust, as well as additional funding from the Brinson Foundation and the Dian Graves Owen Foundation.” The Cato Institute is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit think tank whose current CEO and President is Peter N. Goettler.

According to their about page, “Cato receives approximately 80 percent of its funding through tax-deductible contributions from individuals, many of whom are responding to informative direct mail solicitations and program updates.” Cato offers an annual report that shows the percentages of money received as well as their IRS 990 form. The Cato Institute is funded by various organizations, including Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Charles Koch Foundation, and Sarah Scaife Foundation.

Analysis / Bias

In review, Human Progress collects data and evidence intending to show how much progress humanity has made through capitalism. The website features news stories related to progress in such fields as science, economics, and quality of life. These news stories are curated from other sources such as CBS News, Sky News, and The Telegraph. They also feature original stories such as this: How Much Should We Worry about Deep Fakes? This story is properly sourced to TechDirt, BBC, and MIT.

Editorially, Human Progress favors the right through reporting on the positive benefits of capitalism. When it comes to science, they are generally pro-science, such as with climate change, where they present data without opinion. However, they also produce opinion-oriented articles that though factually accurate, mislead as to the other negative effects of climate change, such as this: Ridley: Rejoice, the Earth Is Becoming Greener.

Failed Fact Checks

• None in the Last 5 years

Overall, we rate Human Progress Right-Center Biased based on the promotion of free-market capitalism and Libertarian perspectives. We also rate them as Mostly Factual in reporting, rather than High, due to misleading reporting on climate change; otherwise, this is a reliable source. (D. Van Zandt 10/16/2016) Updated (12/23/2022)

Source: http://humanprogress.org/