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 Political Insider Questionable based on Extreme Right-Wing Bias, promotion of conspiracy theories, a lack of transparency, and numerous failed fact checks.
Detailed Report
Questionable Reasoning: Propaganda, Conspiracy, Lack of Transparency, Failed Fact Checks, Fake News
Bias Rating: EXTREME RIGHT
Factual Reporting: LOW
Country: USA (45/180 Press Freedom)
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
Founded in 2006, The Political Insider is a conservative news and opinion website. According to their about page, “The Political Insider publishes the authentic conservative voices of political insiders and award-winning contributors who believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Each one is committed to combating the overwhelming liberal bias in today’s media to give you, the reader, the unedited facts on real issues.” The website does not disclose its editors or content creators.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
Political Insider LLC owns the website, which Aurora Media Inc owns. According to their website, “Aurora Media, Inc., a privately held company, investigates, develops, and implements new media opportunities for businesses. Aurora Media, Inc. is the parent company of The Political Insider, LLC, TellMeNow.com, LLC, and Sports: Unstoppable, LLC, and operates closely with Intermarkets, Inc., the nation’s leading, independent digital advertising sales management and services firm. According to Open Secrets, Intermarkets receives money from Republican PACS and donors. Advertising generates revenue for the website.
Analysis / Bias
In review, The Political Insider reports news and opinions with a far-right conservative bias in story selection. Virtually every story favors the right while portraying the left negatively. There is the frequent use of loaded emotional wording such as this: Narrative Fail: Statistics Show Border Deaths Declined in Trump’s First Two Years. This story is appropriately sourced to the right-leaning National Review. Another example of loaded wording favoring the Right (Trump) can be found here: Trump Slams ‘Staged’ Airport Rally In Support of Ilhan Omar. Political Insider also publishes news from the factually Mixed Daily Caller. Finally, Political Insider has published debunked conspiracy theories, such as the fake Wikileaks report that Seth Rich delivered documents to Wikileaks and hence was murdered and the Obama birther conspiracy.
The website does not distinguish between opinion and news pieces, which can be misleading. Further, each original news story features extremely right biased commentary from their authors. In general, this website features extremely biased conservative opinions that serve as a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party. Lastly, they are also listed on Politifact’s fake news list.
Failed Fact Checks
- A picture shows former President Bill Clinton naked with another woman. – PANTS ON FIRE
- “octopus hands” about being groped by Donald Trump. – UNPROVEN
- Does President Obama want to increase his pension? – FALSE
- An image shows Nancy Pelosi’s mansion in San Francisco and the large wall that protects the estate. – FALSE
- Burger King has “bowed to Sharia law” and will no longer serve bacon at their restaurants. – FALSE
- Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief for The Atlantic, confessed. – FALSE
Overall, we rate The Political Insider Questionable based on Extreme Right-Wing Bias, promotion of conspiracy theories, a lack of transparency, and numerous failed fact checks. (10/8/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 9/15/2020)
Source: https://thepoliticalinsider.com
Last Updated on April 18, 2021 by Media Bias Fact Check
Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources
