Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy is rated Right-Center with Mostly Factual factual reporting by Media Bias Fact Check.
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources are slight 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 the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy Right-Center biased based on advocacy for lower taxes, deregulation, school choice, and limited government policy reforms. We also rate them Mostly Factual due to generally sourced policy analysis and public-record-based reporting, while noting ideological framing and limited donor transparency.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: RIGHT-CENTER (4.5)
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL (3.6)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy is a New Hampshire-based free-market think tank founded in 1993. According to its About page, its mission is to develop and advance policies based on free markets, limited government, individual liberty, and economic opportunity.
The organization is led by President Andrew Cline, a former editorial page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader who also serves as chairman of the New Hampshire State Board of Education. The Center is a member of the State Policy Network, a national association of state-level free-market policy organizations.
Read our profile on the United States media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. While it solicits donations on its website, it does not disclose the names of individual donors, thereby limiting transparency. According to InfluenceWatch, it is affiliated with the State Policy Network (SPN), a coalition of conservative think tanks funded by organizations such as DonorsTrust, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Bradley Foundation. SPN members have been linked to opposition to climate policy and national deregulatory campaigns.
Analysis / Bias
The Josiah Bartlett Center openly advocates free-market and limited-government policies, including lower taxes, school choice, deregulation, reduced government spending, and market-based energy policies. Its political bias is therefore primarily economic and libertarian-conservative rather than socially conservative.
In U.S. Public School Spending Hits $1 Trillion; NH Ranks 7th Per-Pupil, the Center accurately cites federal National Center for Education Statistics data showing high per-pupil spending in New Hampshire. It then uses research from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab to challenge the assumption that increased education spending necessarily produces better academic outcomes. The underlying statistics are credible, although the analysis reflects the Center’s preference for efficiency and education reform rather than increased spending.
Likewise, In the Decade Since Rate Cuts Began, NH Business Tax Revenues Grew by an Inflation-Adjusted $2.5 Billion uses state revenue data to document rising business-tax collections during a period of declining tax rates. Importantly, the Center explicitly states that the analysis does not establish that tax cuts caused the increased revenue. It also appended a correction after initially confusing nominal and inflation-adjusted figures, demonstrating reasonable transparency.
In Are Northeast Electricity Prices High Because We Use So Much Natural Gas?, the Center argues that New England electricity prices are driven partly by inadequate natural-gas pipeline capacity rather than excessive dependence on natural gas. The article cites ISO New England, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, economic research, and regional grid reports. However, it uses advocacy language such as describing environmental organizations as “radical” and gives substantially greater attention to arguments favoring natural gas expansion than to environmental or renewable-energy counterarguments.
The Center has also played an active advocacy role in New Hampshire policy debates rather than functioning solely as an academic research organization. The State Policy Network credits it with helping lead the multi-year campaign that expanded education-choice policies in New Hampshire.
Overall, its factual claims are usually supported by government statistics, academic studies, or identifiable primary sources. Bias is primarily found in topic selection, policy interpretation, and the consistent promotion of free-market solutions.
Failed Fact Checks
- There are no direct failed fact checks of the Institute for Reforming Government. However, its association with the State Policy Network, which has supported climate denial and anti-regulatory lobbying, raises concerns about the selective use of evidence and ideological framing.
Overall, we rate the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy Right-Center biased based on advocacy for lower taxes, deregulation, school choice, and limited government policy reforms. We also rate them Mostly Factual due to generally sourced policy analysis and public-record-based reporting, while noting ideological framing and limited donor transparency. (D. Van Zandt 08/14/2026)
Source: https://jbartlett.org/
Last Updated on August 14, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check
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