The Contrarian - Bias and Credibility

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, we rate The Contrarian as Left-biased due to its explicitly anti-Trump, pro-democracy editorial stance and activist mission. We rate it Mostly Factual for factual reporting because, while it cites credible sources and experienced journalists, the heavy opinion framing and activist focus reduce its reliability compared to traditional fact-based outlets.

Detailed Report

Bias Rating: LEFT (-6.5)
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL (3.7)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY

History

The Contrarian is a Substack-based publication founded in 2023 as a collective of journalists, legal analysts, and commentators led by Jennifer Rubin (Editor-in-Chief) with contributors including Norman Eisen, April Ryan, Katie Phang, and others. It was created as an explicitly anti-Trump, pro-democracy outlet positioned as an alternative to mainstream corporate media, which it claims has failed to adequately confront authoritarian threats.

The site notes that profits go toward litigation against Donald Trump, making its mission both journalistic and activist. Content includes news analysis, commentary, podcasts, and cultural features.

Read our profile on the United States media and government.

Funded by / Ownership

The Contrarian is hosted on Substack, monetized primarily through paid subscriptions and donations. Additional revenue is generated through its merchandise shop. The editorial leadership includes Jennifer Rubin, a former conservative writer now aligned with liberal and pro-democracy causes. The team publicly identifies itself, which provides some accountability, but the strong activist component (funding litigation against Trump) distinguishes it from traditional neutral news organizations.

Analysis / Bias

The Contrarian’s editorial stance is overtly anti-Trump and frames its mission around protecting democracy from authoritarian threats. Its tone is unapologetically partisan, often equating Trumpism with authoritarian regimes and drawing historical parallels to fascism. For example, Rubin’s piece “The Constitutional Crisis is All Around us” describes Trump’s actions as an “unrestrained plunge into authoritarianism” and compares them to Viktor Orbán’s Hungary.

Other examples include “Is there no line MAGA won’t cross?” on the doxing of Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and “Tyrants Have Always Targeted Comedians”, which draws parallels between Trump’s targeting of comedians and historical cases under Goebbels, Putin, and the FBI’s campaign against Charlie Chaplin.

While The Contrarian features credible experts and established journalists, it tends to emphasize worst-case scenarios and emotional appeals, occasionally presenting speculative or activist-driven narratives. It avoids outright fabrications but mixes fact with heavy editorializing, lowering its factual rating.

Failed Fact Checks

No direct failed fact checks by external fact-checking organizations were found for The Contrarian itself.

Overall, we rate The Contrarian as Left-biased due to its explicitly anti-Trump, pro-democracy editorial stance and activist mission. We rate it Mostly Factual for factual reporting because, while it cites credible sources and experienced journalists, the heavy opinion framing and activist focus reduce its reliability compared to traditional fact-based outlets. (D. Van Zandt 09/27/2025)

Source: https://contrarian.substack.com/

Last Updated on September 27, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check