LEFT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources have a slight to moderate progressive/liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes) to favor progressive/liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information, but may require further investigation. See all Left-Center sources.
- Overall, we rate Telos as Left-Center biased based on its mission-driven focus on democratic backsliding, consistently critical coverage of Donald Trump, and story choices centered on pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian narratives. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to the use of primary documents, data-driven election analysis, and a clean fact-check record.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER (-4.8)
Factual Reporting: HIGH (1.3)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
Telos is a Substack-based political publication created in 2025 by veteran Washington reporter Ryan Lizza and hosted at Telos News. According to its own description on the about page, Telos is “mission-oriented” journalism focused on the “crisis in Washington” and democratic backsliding, drawing on Lizza’s nearly three decades of covering the White House and national politics for legacy outlets. Lizza’s recent work at Telos has included both standard political analysis and a highly personal serialized account of the RFK Jr.–Olivia Nuzzi saga, which has drawn substantial media attention.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
Telos is independently owned and operated by Ryan Lizza as a Substack publication, monetized primarily through paid and free subscriptions plus associated podcast and live-video content hosted on the same platform, as indicated on Telos News. Additional revenue likely comes from podcast distribution and related audience support mentioned across the site, but there is no evidence of institutional or party funding beyond subscription and platform-based income.
Analysis / Bias
Telos is explicitly framed as “mission-oriented” coverage of democratic backsliding, which strongly shapes its editorial priorities. Many pieces focus on Donald Trump, threats to democratic norms, and the failures of mainstream political media, such as Lizza’s conversations with election analyst G. Elliott Morris in What Tuesday’s Results Really Mean, which dissects vote swings and polling errors with detailed vote-share and demographic data. This kind of election analysis is grounded in empirical evidence but filtered through a narrative that stresses the limits of Trump “realignment” and the centrality of economic anxiety, a framing more typical of center-left analytical journalism.
At the same time, Telos uses more overtly value-laden language when addressing Trump and his movement. In Reacting to Trump’s Fascist ‘Enemies Within’ Speech With Steve Schmidt, Lizza and Schmidt openly label Trump’s rhetoric to military leaders as “fascist” and treat the president as a direct threat to democratic institutions. This reflects a strong anti-Trump stance and a clear alignment with the broader pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian coalition typically associated with the center-left. The tone is unapologetically normative, but grounded in evidence.
Telos also publishes primary documents when making serious ethical claims. In Olivia’s Strategy Memo to Bobby, Lizza publishes the full text of a political strategy memo allegedly written by Olivia Nuzzi for RFK Jr. and uses it to argue that she crossed from journalist to operative; making the document itself available allows readers to independently evaluate his claims.
In general, sourcing tends to rely on first-hand documents, election data, and well-known political reporting, but the outlet is highly selective in topic choice: Trump, the GOP, democratic erosion, and media ethics are recurring themes, with little sympathetic treatment of conservative actors. This combination of evidence-based reporting with consistently anti-Trump, pro-democracy framing supports a Left-Center rating.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate Telos as Left-Center biased based on its mission-driven focus on democratic backsliding, consistently critical coverage of Donald Trump, and story choices centered on pro-democracy, anti-authoritarian narratives. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to the use of primary documents, data-driven election analysis, and a clean fact-check record. (D. Van Zandt 12/06/2025)
Source: https://www.telos.news/
Last Updated on December 6, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check
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