QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.
- Overall, we rate The Liberal as right-biased and questionable due to its use of conspiracy theories, emotionally charged language, and lack of transparency. While it covers news topics relevant to Ireland, its framing often aligns with nationalist, anti-immigration, and socially conservative viewpoints.
Detailed Report
Questionable Reasoning: Conspiracy Theories, Propaganda, Poor Sources, Lack of Transparency
Bias Rating: FAR RIGHT (7.9)
Factual Reporting: LOW (7.8)
Country: Ireland
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: EXCELLENT
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
The Liberal is an Irish online news website presenting as an alternative media platform. According to its About Us page, it aims to provide news “unfiltered by mainstream media narratives,” implying skepticism toward conventional journalism. The site covers Irish news, world events, politics, and opinion pieces, often focusing on immigration, social issues, and government policies.
Read our profile on Ireland’s media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
There is no information regarding the ownership or financial backing of The Liberal on its website. Advertising generates revenue. A lack of transparency in ownership and funding is a common characteristic among less reliable news sources.
Analysis / Bias
The Liberal exhibits a strong right-wing bias in its reporting, particularly in its coverage of immigration, government policies, and social issues. Headlines and articles often use emotionally charged language, with a tendency to frame topics in a way that aligns with conservative, nationalist, and anti-immigration perspectives. We also found that they do not rely on hyperlinked sourcing.
Examples of Bias:
- Anti-Immigration Rhetoric: The article “Heroic resistance of Irish people to migrant plantation…” promotes the conspiracy theory of “population replacement,” a far-right narrative that suggests an orchestrated effort to replace native populations with migrants. Fact-checking organizations have widely debunked this claim.
- Loaded Language Against Government Figures: The opinion piece “Simple Simon Harris can grovel to President Trump now, but his woke mouth may have already cashed Ireland’s cheque” uses derogatory and sarcastic language against Irish politician Simon Harris, framing him as weak and pandering.
- Framing of Global Issues to Fit a Right-Wing Narrative: The article “Over 20,000 NATO troops take part in military exercises…” frames NATO’s actions as a direct humiliation of Russia, using the phrase “Putin’s poor army” to mock the Russian military. While this could be seen as a strong stance against Russia, it also leans into a tabloid-style, provocative tone.
- Skepticism Toward Labor Unions and Public Workers: “Irish civil servants are being asked to return to the office, but are being urged to resist requests by unions” presents labor unions as obstructive forces rather than neutral actors negotiating worker rights.
The website regularly features nationalist, anti-globalist, and socially conservative themes, aligning it with right-wing populist perspectives. The lack of transparency, poor sourcing techniques and promotion of conspiracy theories renders it questionable.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years. However, The Liberal has published claims about the “population replacement” conspiracy, which fact-checkers have widely debunked.
Overall, we rate The Liberal as right-biased and questionable due to its use of conspiracy theories, emotionally charged language, and lack of transparency. While it covers news topics relevant to Ireland, its framing often aligns with nationalist, anti-immigration, and socially conservative viewpoints. (D. Van Zandt 02/04/2025)
Source: https://theliberal.ie/
Last Updated on February 4, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check
Do you appreciate our work? Please consider one of the following ways to sustain us.
or
Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources