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 appeals 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 Nieman Lab Left-Center biased based on story selection and editorial positions that slightly align with a liberal perspective. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and clean fact check record.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
Founded in 2008 by Joshua Benton, The Nieman Journalism Lab is a website that publishes news and analysis about journalism and the changing dynamics of digital publishing. According to their about page, “The Nieman Journalism Lab is an attempt to help journalism figure out its future in an Internet age.” They further state, “We want to help reporters and editors adjust to their online labors; we want to help traditional news organizations find a way to survive; we want to help the new crop of startups that will complement — or supplant — them.”
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University owns and publishes the Nieman Journalism Lab. They also publish a journalism magazine called Nieman Reports and the website niemanstoryboard.org. They are transparent in funding, citing the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as a significant donor.
Analysis / Bias
The Nieman Lab website primarily publishes articles geared toward media professionals focusing on the challenges faced in the digital age. The website also features a section where their stories are translated into different languages and a section that tracks Twitter activity in real-time. Unfortunately, at the time of this review, it is not working.
Original articles and analyses typically use minimal to moderately loaded wording such as this Can journalism survive in a post-news world? Although this story is an opinion piece, it lacks hyperlinked sourcing. Other opinion pieces, however, were found to be appropriately sourced.
Analysis articles are well-sourced such as this Overwhelmingly white but leaning female: See the results of the Canadian Association of Journalists’ inaugural diversity survey, and this Are people lying more since the rise of social media and smartphones? Some notable sources used are The Verge, scholarly journals, and academic websites. Finally, they also feature a section called “What We’re Reading” that curates news stories from various left and right-leaning sources such as The Wall Street Journal, Columbia Journalism Review, and the Washington Post.
Editorially, Nieman Lab covers both sides in articles and opinion pieces; however, story selection tends to lean left based on what they report. For example, they frequently report on issues that appeal to the left, such as concern for climate change misinformation, diversity in newsrooms, and conservative misinformation. In general, Nieman Lab is fact-based and displays a slight left-leaning bias through story selection.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate Nieman Lab Left-Center biased based on story selection and editorial positions that slightly align with a liberal perspective. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and clean fact check record. (D. Van Zandt 12/21/2021)
Source: https://www.niemanlab.org/
Last Updated on June 28, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check
Do you appreciate our work? Please consider one of the following ways to sustain us.
or
Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources