Detailed Report

Bias Rating: CONSPIRACY-PSEUDOSCIENCE
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: Unknown
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY

History

Founded in 2015, the OffGuardian is an independent news and opinion website that “takes its name from the fact its five founders had all been censored on and/or banned from the Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ sections.” According to their about page, they “claim to provide a home for the comment – & the facts – you no longer find in the MSM.” They also state, “Our editors & admins are based around the globe, in North America, Britain, and Southern and Eastern Europe.” The OffGuardian lists its editors at the bottom of each page.

Funded by / Ownership

The website does not disclose ownership; however, revenue appears to be generated through donations such as Patreon and Paypal. This disclaimer is found on the website: “OffGuardian does not accept advertising or sponsored content. We have no large financial backers. We are not funded by any government or NGO. Donations from our readers are our only means of income. Even the smallest amount of support is hugely appreciated.”

Analysis / Bias

In review, OffGuardian reports news with a pro-Russian bias. Many articles are very critical of Ukraine, such as this Ukraine admitted to interfering in the 2016 US election on Clinton’s side. This story does not offer hyperlinked sourcing but rather translations of documents. OffGuardian also frequently promotes conspiracy theories regarding GMOs such as Post-Brexit Farming, Glyphosate, and GMOs. Although this story utilizes some credible sources, it also cites Mercola, a website promoting quackery-level pseudoscience. They also promote 9/11 conspiracies such as The Fakest Fake News: The U.S. Government’s 9/11 Conspiracy Theory. They frequently cover False Flags and the US Deep State conspiracy as well as anti-vaccination propaganda.

In an article by Ukrainian fact-checkers, Stop Fake, they write about the OffGuardian as “Russian trolls exiled from Guardian find home for their hate.” Politically, there is a wide range of opinions expressed, with many falling on the pro-socialist side: Anti-Capitalism is NOT Anti-Semitism. Finally, during the Covid-19 pandemic, they have routinely published false information, as seen below in failed fact checks.

Failed Fact Checks

• “COVID19 PCR tests are scientifically meaningless.” – Pants on Fire
• “no one has died from the coronavirus” – Inaccurate
• The U.S. CDC is “lowering their CT value when testing samples from suspected ‘breakthrough infections’” to decrease the number of officially recorded cases – Inaccurate
• “Numerous internationally renowned experts in the fields of virology, immunology, and epidemiology consider the measures taken to be counterproductive and recommend rapid natural immunization of the general population and protection of risk groups.” – Inaccurate
• “There has been NO unusual excess mortality” related to COVID; “Lockdowns do not prevent the spread of disease”; “Masks don’t work”; “PCR tests were not designed to diagnose illness” – Inaccurate

Overall, we rate OffGuardian a Strong Conspiracy and Strong Pseudoscience website that frequently promotes unproven conspiracy theories and false information regarding the Coronavirus. (D. Van Zandt 5/29/2019) Updated (07/03/2023)

Source: https://off-guardian.org

Last Updated on July 3, 2023 by Media Bias Fact Check

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