New Mandala - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check

LEFT-CENTER BIAS

These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal 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 liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Left-Center sources.

Overall, we rate New Mandala Left-Center biased due to its academic policy analysis perspective and frequent focus on environmental governance, civil society, and political accountability. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER (-2.0)
Factual Reporting: HIGH (1.0)
Country: Australia
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY

History

New Mandala is an online publication focused on politics, society, and public policy in Southeast Asia. According to the site’s About page, the publication was founded in 2006 by scholars Andrew Walker and Nicholas Farrelly at the Australian National University (ANU). Originally created to focus on developments in Thailand and Myanmar, the site later expanded to cover political and social issues across Southeast Asia. New Mandala describes its mission as providing analysis, commentary, and new perspectives on the region’s political and social dynamics while contributing to scholarly and public debate on Southeast Asian studies.

Read our profile on the Australian media and government.

Funded by / Ownership

New Mandala is hosted by the Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs within the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. The publication is financially supported by the Australian National University, although the site states that editorial decisions are made independently of the university. The platform publishes articles from academics, researchers, and regional experts, and it also produces multimedia content such as podcasts and vodcasts available through its podcast section.

Analysis / Bias

The New Mandala website publishes analytical essays and commentary written primarily by academics, policy researchers, and regional experts on political, economic, and environmental issues in Southeast Asia. Articles frequently examine governance challenges, corruption, development policy, and environmental impacts within the region.

For example, the article Complicity in conservation: the making of Sumatra’s floods argues that the scale of flooding in Sumatra is linked to environmental degradation caused by extractive industries and governance failures surrounding forest management and conservation policy. Another article, Corruption compromises climate resilience in the Philippines, analyzes corruption in flood-control infrastructure projects and how these governance issues affect climate resilience and disaster preparedness.

The site’s content often reflects perspectives common in academic policy analysis, including criticism of corruption, environmental degradation, and governance failures in Southeast Asia. While articles may present strong arguments or normative viewpoints, they are typically written as scholarly analysis rather than partisan political advocacy. The platform also explicitly states that opinions expressed by contributors represent the views of individual authors rather than the Australian National University or the editorial team.

Failed Fact Checks

None in the Last 5 years

Overall, we rate New Mandala Left-Center biased due to its academic policy analysis perspective and frequent focus on environmental governance, civil society, and political accountability. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record. (D. Van Zandt 03/12/2026)

Source: https://www.newmandala.org/

Last Updated on March 12, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check