The Handbasket is rated Left with Mostly Factual factual reporting by Media Bias Fact Check.
LEFT BIAS
These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward liberal/progressive causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using an appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports, and omit information that may damage liberal/progressive causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Left Bias sources.
- Overall, we rate The Handbasket Left Biased because it strongly favors progressive story selection, consistently opposes conservative politics, and frequently uses emotionally charged anti-right framing. We rate it Mostly Factual due to substantial original reporting and generally credible sourcing, offset by extreme one-sidedness and advocacy-style presentation.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT (-6.6)
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL (3.7)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
The Handbasket is an independent news and commentary website founded in June 2022 by journalist Marisa Kabas. It began as a side project hosted on Substack before Kabas made it her full-time publication in 2023 and later moved it to its own website. The Handbasket covers U.S. politics, civil rights, extremism, media, LGBTQ issues, the Trump administration, and occasional personal commentary.
Kabas is a Brooklyn-based independent journalist whose work has also appeared in outlets including MSNBC, The Washington Post, HuffPost, and Rolling Stone. The Handbasket has produced original reporting on former Congressman George Santos, the Marion County Record police raid, Elon Musk, the Trump administration, DOGE, and immigration enforcement.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Funded by / Ownership
Marisa Kabas owns and operates The Handbasket and describes it as 100% independent journalism. The publication is primarily reader-funded through free and paid subscriptions, premium memberships, and direct contributions or tips.
Kabas publicly identifies herself as the publication’s owner and principal journalist and provides direct contact information. The operation is essentially a one-person publication, although it occasionally features guest contributors and collaborations with other journalists.
Analysis / Bias
The Handbasket demonstrates a strong left-wing, progressive editorial perspective through its story selection, framing, and highly charged language. Coverage consistently emphasizes LGBTQ rights, immigration enforcement, civil rights, opposition to right-wing extremism, criticism of conservative media, and resistance to the Trump administration. Conservative and Republican figures are overwhelmingly portrayed negatively, while progressive causes generally receive favorable treatment.
For example, Republicans don’t have a Nazi problem—they are the Nazi problem argues that recent extremist controversies demonstrate a broader connection between Republican politics and Nazi ideology. Likewise, Kat Abughazaleh shows us how to fight fascists uses explicitly favorable language toward a progressive activist while framing immigration enforcement and its defenders through an anti-fascist lens.
However, The Handbasket also publishes substantive original journalism. Kabas has obtained government records through FOIA requests, conducted interviews, reported from events, and broken stories later confirmed or followed by larger news organizations. In January 2025, she obtained and published an Office of Management and Budget memo concerning the Trump administration’s planned freeze on federal grants and loans before major national outlets reported the story.
Factual sourcing is generally adequate to strong, particularly in original reporting that relies on documents, court filings, public records, interviews, and direct evidence. The primary concern is extreme ideological one-sidedness and frequent use of emotionally charged terminology such as “fascists,” “Nazis,” “depravity,” and similar language. This blurs the boundary between straight reporting and advocacy, but we found insufficient evidence of recurring false reporting to warrant a Mixed factual rating.
Failed Fact Checks
- None found from major fact-checking organizations.
Overall, we rate The Handbasket Left Biased because it strongly favors progressive story selection, consistently opposes conservative politics, and frequently uses emotionally charged anti-right framing. We rate it Mostly Factual due to substantial original reporting and generally credible sourcing, offset by extreme one-sidedness and advocacy-style presentation. (D. Van Zandt 10/28/2026)
Source: https://www.thehandbasket.co/
Last Updated on October 28, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources