LEAST BIASED
These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes). The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources.
- Overall, we rate Verity as least biased based on its balanced news reporting and minimal editorializing. We also rate them high for factual reporting due to their methodology, ensuring the information is fact-based, and having a clean fact-check record.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEAST BIASED
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: United States
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
Verity (formerly Improve the News Foundation) is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that aims to provide reliable news through technology.
Established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Verity began in 2020 as an MIT research project led by Prof. Max Tegmark. It uses machine learning and crowdsourcing for news aggregation, classifying articles by topic and grouping related stories for comparative analysis. The platform presents various political and social perspectives and advocates for informed decision-making. Refer to their FAQ section for additional information and details on their methods.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
Founded through an MIT research project by Professor Max Tegmark, Verity (Improve the News Foundation) utilizes machine learning to categorize and analyze news content. As a registered non-profit (501(c)(3), Verity prioritizes accessibility by offering its platform and resources free from advertisements. Verity mentions being philanthropically funded but does not provide detailed information about their funders. This approach is common among non-profit organizations. Verity plans to launch a donation portal to ensure continued operation.
Analysis / Bias
Verity offers a comprehensive news experience. Articles labeled “story” provide detailed analysis, while others offer summaries with links to the original content. To create a story page, the editorial team utilizes machine learning to aggregate articles on the same event, extracting key facts that all sources agree on and the main narratives where opinions diverge.
The website features a customizable interface where readers can adjust news bias and writing style preferences through an accessible slider menu. Preferences set here refine the news feed, which can be further adjusted on the fly using the slider icon on the homepage, ensuring content stays aligned with reader interests.
In review, Verity’s Politics section presents news in a format that blends summaries with direct links to sources. Some articles are labeled “stories,” offering more in-depth narratives on specific topics. Other news items, such as reports on Kim Jong Un or Joe Biden’s approval ratings, feature concise overviews with links to external sites like Business Insider or Newsweek for full details.
For example, we analyzed the page featuring a report labeled as “story” titled “Report: Big Pharma to Start 2024 With Price Hikes,” The report structures information under ‘Facts,’ where key details that various sources agree on. Below this, it lists sources such as Yahoo Finance, Reuters, CNBC, Washington Post, New York Post, and The White House, providing an objective baseline of the report. It is followed by various narratives or ‘spins,’ including establishment-critical, pro-establishment, cynical, and nerd narratives. Each narrative is supported by articles from different sources, offering diverse views on the issue. This structure allows readers to understand the story from multiple angles, enhancing their comprehension of the news.
Further, Verity allows readers to customize their news content based on their political and establishment bias as well as the writing style of the news content they wish to view. Users can adjust these preferences by clicking “How our sliders work,” which is located towards the bottom of the homepage. It’s placed under the main news content and above the footer. Options include showing newspaper flags and stances and enabling info popups for a more informed reading experience. After setting their Preferences in the slider menu, users can save them to curate their news feed to match their desired level of depth and perspective.
In general, Verity exhibits minimal bias by providing news stories from multiple angles allowing the reader to decide which they prefer. Unlike similar sources that aggregate content based on Bias, they curate stories to ensure only the facts are presented, indicating they are fact-based in reporting. Although they may rely on sources that have been deemed questionable or mixed for factual reporting, they extract the facts from these sources to ensure accuracy.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate Verity as least biased based on its balanced news reporting and minimal editorializing. We also rate them high for factual reporting due to their methodology, ensuring the information is fact-based, and having a clean fact-check record. (M. Huitsing 12/31/2023)
Source: https://www.improvethenews.org/
Last Updated on December 31, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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