Judicial Watch – Bias and Credibility

QUESTIONABLE SOURCE

A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section of that source. See all Questionable sources.

Overall, we rate Judicial Watch Questionable based on extreme right-wing bias, promotion of conspiracy theories, and an abysmal fact-check record.

Detailed Report

Reasoning: Conspiracy, Propaganda, Numerous Failed Fact Checks
Bias Rating: FAR RIGHT
Factual Reporting: LOW
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY

History

Founded in 1994 by Larry Klayman, Judicial Watch (JW) is an American conservative activist group that files Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to investigate government officials’ alleged misconduct. They primarily target Democrats such as the Clinton’s, Obama, and climate scientists as they label climate science “fraud science.” Judicial Watch has made numerous false and unsubstantiated claims, with a “vast majority” of their lawsuits dismissed. They describe themselves as “a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability, and integrity in government, politics, and the law.” The current President of JW is Tom Fitton.

Read our profile on the United States government and media.

Funded by / Ownership

Judicial Watch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations. According to Sourcewatch, JW receives funding from prominent right-wing organizations such as the Carthage Foundation and Scaife Foundation.

Analysis / Bias

Judicial Watch reports news on their website using strong emotional language, usually pro-right or anti-left. Typical topics covered are anti-immigration, in which they highlight crimes committed by illegal immigrants, such as this: Busy Month for Illegal Immigrants Committing Heinous Crimes or dedicating an entire website to exposing former President Obama’s alleged IRS scandal.

They have also promoted debunked conspiracy theories such as this. Further, the founder of JW, Larry Klayman, recently promoted the conspiracy that the Clintons were killing people. Finally, they routinely promote conspiracy theories claimed by Former President Trump that are usually debunked. See failed fact checks below. Generally, most content and story selection is anti-left and not always factual.

Failed Fact Checks

DHS Quietly Moving, Releasing ‘Vanloads’ of ‘Illegal Aliens’ Away from Border – FALSE
Has Nancy Pelosi spent $100,000 on food, booze, and “partying” during her air travel? – FALSE
Judicial Watch says ISIS operating a camp in Mexico–near El Paso – FALSE
‘Islamic Refugee’ with Gas Pipeline Plans Arrested in New Mexico Border County – FALSE
Did the IRS ‘Fast Track’ Tax-Exempt Status for ‘After School Satan’ Clubs? – FALSE
“More than 100,000 DACA applicants have been arrested—Murder, Rape, DUI.” – MOSTLY FALSE
Did a legal settlement between Judicial Watch and California election officials prove that one million illegal votes were cast in the 2018 elections in California? – FALSE
Donald Trump was allowed to destroy classified documents – MOSTLY FALSE

Overall, we rate Judicial Watch Questionable based on extreme right-wing bias, promotion of conspiracy theories, and an abysmal fact-check record. (7/19/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 08/13/2022)

Source: https://www.judicialwatch.org