Newsmax – Bias and Credibility

Newsmax is rated Right with Mixed factual reporting by Media Bias Fact Check.

Bias Rating: RIGHT (7.4)
Factual Reporting: MIXED (5.2)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: TV Station/Website
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY

History

Newsmax is an American conservative news and opinion organization founded by Christopher Ruddy in 1998. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, Newsmax operates across television, digital, streaming, and print through Newsmax TV, Newsmax2, Newsmax+, Newsmax.com, and Newsmax Magazine. Ruddy serves as Chief Executive Officer and remains the company’s controlling shareholder.

Newsmax expanded substantially as a television news outlet during and after Donald Trump’s first presidency, positioning itself as a conservative alternative to established cable news networks. Its programming combines original reporting, interviews, political commentary, opinion programs, syndicated material, and reporting from wire services such as Reuters and the Associated Press.

Newsmax has also faced significant litigation over claims it broadcast after the 2020 presidential election. In April 2021, Newsmax settled with former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer and apologized for false allegations against him. This was separate from Dominion Voting Systems’ own defamation lawsuit against Newsmax, which continued until the parties reached a $67 million settlement in 2025. Newsmax also settled a separate defamation lawsuit Smartmatic filed in 2024.

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Funded by / Ownership

Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering.

Although Newsmax is publicly traded, founder and CEO Christopher Ruddy retains effective control through the company’s dual-class share structure. According to SEC filings, Ruddy holds about 81.5% of the company’s voting power through Class A shares, which carry 10 votes per share. Revenue comes from advertising, television distribution and carriage agreements, streaming subscriptions, digital subscriptions, print products, licensing, and other commercial operations.

In 2024, CNBC reported that former Qatari government official Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani had invested approximately $50 million in Newsmax through Heritage Advisors during 2019 and 2020. Newsmax disputed allegations that the investment influenced its editorial coverage of Qatar.

Analysis / Bias

Newsmax demonstrates a strong right-leaning editorial perspective through story selection, political commentary, guest selection, and opinion programming. Coverage generally favors conservative positions on immigration, taxation, regulation, abortion, gun rights, energy, and cultural issues while portraying Democratic politicians and progressive policies more negatively. The network also provides extensive favorable coverage of President Donald Trump and the broader MAGA movement.

However, Newsmax’s straight-news operation is broader and generally more conventional than its opinion programming. Its Newsfront section frequently republishes or licenses reporting from Reuters, the Associated Press, and other established news services. Recent reporting on trade, the military, immigration, business, and federal court decisions often presents standard wire-service reporting without substantial ideological alteration. This distinction between straight reporting and opinion programming is important when assessing the organization as a whole.

At the same time, Newsmax continues to provide a platform for strongly partisan and occasionally inaccurate claims. In November 2023, a Newsmax segment falsely claimed that MSNBC had aired footage of a Gaza “crisis actor.” Earlier that year, a Newsmax Facebook post falsely claimed that Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican had requested that President Joe Biden not attend Benedict’s funeral. These examples reflect weaknesses in verification, particularly in fast-moving political and cultural stories.

The network also frequently airs interviews in which politicians and commentators make false or misleading statements. These should be distinguished from Newsmax’s own reporting unless hosts endorse, repeat, or fail to meaningfully contextualize the claims. Likewise, assess sponsored health promotions and advertising separately from newsroom-produced journalism unless they are deceptively presented as editorial content.

Historically, Newsmax promoted or aired unsupported claims involving the 2020 election, vaccines, climate change, and other controversial subjects. Some of these examples are now outside MBFC’s five-year review window or were subsequently corrected and therefore no longer directly affect the current factual score. Nevertheless, the Dominion and Smartmatic settlements remain relevant historical evidence of serious past failures in editorial verification, while the current product continues to exhibit strongly one-sided political framing.

Failed Fact Checks

• “Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican requested that President Biden not attend Benedict’s funeral.” – False (2023)
• “MSNBC airs Gaza ‘crisis actor.’” – False (2023)

Correction noted: In May 2022, Science Feedback rated unsupported a Newsmax social-media claim that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer and mental illness. Newsmax corrected the post after the review; therefore, under MBFC methodology, this corrected error does not negatively affect the current factual score.

Overall, we rate Newsmax Right Biased based on strongly conservative story selection, opinion programming, and generally favorable coverage of Donald Trump and the Republican right. We rate it Mixed for factual reporting because of recurring verification failures and strongly one-sided political coverage, despite generally reliable straight news reporting, transparent ownership, and substantial use of credible wire services. (M. Huitsing 10/8/2017) Updated (D. Van Zandt 10/21/2026)

Source: https://www.newsmax.com/

Last Updated on October 21, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check

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