RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources are slight to moderately conservative in 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 conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.
- Overall, we rate The Citizen, Right-Center biased based on story selection and editorial content that moderately favors the right. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to reasonable sourcing and a clean fact-check record.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: RIGHT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: South Africa
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Newspaper
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
Launched in 1976, The Citizen is a South African tabloid-style daily newspaper distributed mainly in Gauteng. The Citizen was founded by a South African Business magnate and the former president of the South African Rugby Football Union, Louis Luyt. According to a Haaretz article, Luyt was given money by the government to establish The Citizen. A quote from the article reads, “The publisher was Luyt, and he got the money secretly from the government.”
The Citizen focuses on news, business, sport, lifestyle, parenting, entertainment, motoring, horse racing, gaming, and auctions. Trevor Stevens is the Editor.
Read our profile on South African media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
The Citizen is owned by one of the four big media corporations in South Africa, Caxton & CTP publishers & printers. Mr. Terrence D. Moolman is the co-founder of Caxton & CTP publishers & Printers. The Citizen generates revenue through advertising and subscriptions.
Analysis / Bias
According to I Media Ethics, The Citizen apologized for Photoshopping an Agence France-Presse picture. Further, The Citizen issued an apology to Anton Harber for an article about Winnie Mandela’s Stratcom allegations.
In review, when publishing world news, The Citizen republishes articles from the least biased AFP, such as “Iran accuses the US of ‘unacceptable’ escalation in tensions.” When it comes to publishing national political news, The Citizen utilizes moderately emotionally loaded headlines such as this; The mayor alludes that Ramaphosa is a charmer who plays around with people’s emotions. This article is critical of the ANC. The ANC (The African National Congress) is a South African political party that has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa and a member of Socialist International. For more details on the South African Government and Media, click here: South Africa Government and Media.
In another article, there is a positive bias regarding the opposition party, “Maimane survives as DA leadership takes collective responsibility” (Maimane is the leader of DA – The Democratic Alliance Party- the party is regarded as center-right in economic policy). When sourcing, The Citizen utilizes other South African media sources such as The Sowetan and The African News Agency (ANA), a syndicated, multimedia news and content distribution service.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate The Citizen, Right-Center biased based on story selection and editorial content that moderately favors the right. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to reasonable sourcing and a clean fact-check record. (M. Huitsing 5/17/2019) Updated (04/02/2024)
Source: https://citizen.co.za
Last Updated on April 2, 2024 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources