LEFT BIAS
These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports, and omit information that may damage liberal causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Left Bias sources.
- Overall, Red Flag is a transparently far-left, theory-driven journal dedicated to Marxist and Trotskyist perspectives. We also rate them Mixed for factual reporting due to their extreme one-sidedness that completely leaves out context.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT (-8.8)
Factual Reporting: MIXED (4.6)
Country: Australia
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Newspaper
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
Red Flag is an Australian fortnightly newspaper founded in 2013 by Socialist Alternative, a Trotskyist political organization. The publication functions as the group’s main media outlet, advocating revolutionary Marxist theory and direct class struggle.
Read our profile on Australian media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
Red Flag is a non-profit, reader-funded outlet with no corporate advertising. It is owned and operated by Socialist Alternative and explicitly serves as its propaganda and agitation organ. Donations and subscriptions support the publication, which discloses editorial leadership but offers little detail on financial operations beyond this.
Analysis / Bias
Red Flag consistently promotes a revolutionary Marxist worldview, and its reporting reflects this ideological orientation without balance or moderation. In “Israel is replicating Nazi starvation tactics in Gaza”, the outlet likens Israeli policy in Gaza to Holocaust-era tactics. This comparison relies heavily on emotionally provocative language and rhetorical extremity.
In “Labor sacrifices Indigenous cultural sites and the climate for fossil fuel profits again”, the publication condemns the Australian Labor Party as complicit in both climate destruction and the erasure of Indigenous heritage, offering no countervailing view. Similarly, “Capitalism can’t end women’s oppression — we need a revolution” asserts that only socialist revolution can end gender-based oppression, dismissing reforms or liberal progress as distractions.
In “What makes the Democrats different from, but the same as, the Republicans”, U.S. electoral politics are framed as a false dichotomy under capitalism, with both parties serving the same elite interests.
These articles exhibit a clear editorial bias, as perspectives that do not support radical socialism are omitted entirely, and the terminology is often inflammatory or militant in tone. Though Red Flag occasionally references outside sources, its content is heavily filtered through ideological interpretation, reducing factual balance and enhancing its function as a political tool rather than a journalistic outlet.
Failed Fact Check
- There are no documented failed fact checks by third-party organizations. However, the site uses extreme analogies, particularly equating Israel’s actions with Nazi atrocities, and often makes sweeping generalizations about capitalism, political parties, and social systems. These tendencies diminish the site’s credibility.
Overall, Red Flag is a transparently far-left, theory-driven journal dedicated to Marxist and Trotskyist perspectives. We also rate them Mixed for factual reporting due to their extreme one-sidedness that completely leaves out context. (D. Van Zandt 06/08/2025)
Source: https://redflag.org.au/
Last Updated on June 8, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check
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