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 for that source. See all Questionable sources.
- Overall, we rate the National Enquirer Questionable based on the routine publishing of sensational or fake news stories.
Detailed Report
Reasoning: Conspiracy, Pseudoscience, Fake News
Bias Rating: RIGHT
Factual Reporting: LOW
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Magazine
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
The National Enquirer is an American supermarket tabloid published by American Media Inc (AMI), founded in 1926. The Enquirer openly acknowledges that it will pay sources for tips, a practice generally disapproved of by the credible press. The current editor is Dylan Howard.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
The National Enquirer is owned by American Media, Inc., a publisher of magazines, supermarket tabloids, and books based in New York City. In August 2020, the CEO of AMI, David Pecker, a close personal friend to President Donald Trump, stepped down as CEO. The tabloid is funded through magazine sales and advertising.
Analysis / Bias
The National Enquirer is well known for publishing outrageous and sometimes fake news stories. One could even say that they are the original fake news media outlet that profits by selling fake news. While most news on their website is not fake, the majority is sensationalized gossip that is not well sourced to credible information. A sample headline reads Hillary Clinton: White House Dream Is Over! In this article, they claim Clinton has 6 months to live, which is patently false. Here is the cover of the magazine:
According to reporting by The Associated Press, during the 2016 United States Presidential election, stories that supported Donald Trump or attacked his rivals bypassed the newspaper’s standard fact-checking process. In general, stories regarding politics have a right-wing bias in selection, especially regarding President Trump.
Failed Fact Checks
- The National Enquirer has failed numerous fact-checks. See here.
Overall, we rate the National Enquirer Questionable based on the routine publishing of sensational or fake news stories. (D. Van Zandt 7/12/2017) Updated (04/21/2023)
Source: http://www.nationalenquirer.com/
Last Updated on June 27, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources