LEFT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources have a slight to moderate 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 liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Left-Center sources.
- Overall, we rate The Markup as Left-Center biased due to its frequent critiques of tech corporations and focus on issues like inequality, data privacy, and corporate regulation. Its investigative journalism is high in factual accuracy and backed by rigorous, transparent reporting and the use of credible sources.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
The Markup is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 by Julia Angwin, Sue Gardner, and Jeff Larson. It is headquartered in New York City. Angwin and Larson are former investigative journalists from ProPublica, while Gardner previously led the Wikimedia Foundation. The organization focuses on the societal impact of technology, using a data-driven approach to journalism. The Markup began with support from the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative. The Markup allows its work to be republished for free under the terms of its Creative Commons license.
Read our profile on the United States media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
The Markup is a nonprofit organization that generates revenue primarily through donations from philanthropic foundations. Major donors include Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the MacArthur Foundation, the Knight Foundation, Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, and the Ford Foundation. The newsroom is governed by its board of directors.
Analysis / Bias
The Markup frequently focuses on critical investigations of large tech corporations, particularly around transparency, corporate accountability, and consumer protection issues. Although its reporting is accurate, its focus on systemic issues in technology results in a slight left-leaning bias, as many of its articles advocate for stronger regulation of tech companies.
In review, in Markup’s “Show Your Work” section, the organization emphasizes transparency by publishing the results of investigations and the data and methodologies behind them. For example, in their investigation into car insurance loopholes in Michigan, they explain how they selected companies and analyzed factors affecting insurance premiums. This includes detailing their data sources, such as reports from the Insurance Information Institute and the Consumer Federation of America, and breaking down how premiums are calculated. This level of transparency allows readers to understand and verify the investigative process, adding credibility to their findings.
Similarly, in their article on Elon Musk’s efforts to limit web scraping, The Markup explains the legal and technical complexities of the issue and discusses a lawsuit filed by X Corp., formerly Twitter, against a nonprofit for scraping public data to analyze hate speech on the platform. The article explores the ongoing legal challenges to scraping and its importance for transparency in tech. Their investigation into internet pricing disparities follows the same model, detailing each step of their research process to allow readers to fully understand how they arrived at conclusions about pricing inequality.
In summary, The Markup maintains strong credibility through its transparent reporting practices, but its focus on tech industry critiques and corporate regulation may align more closely with progressive perspectives.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate The Markup as Left-Center biased due to its frequent critiques of tech corporations and focus on issues like inequality, data privacy, and corporate regulation. Its investigative journalism is high in factual accuracy and backed by rigorous, transparent reporting and the use of credible sources. (M. Huitsing 10/13/2024)
Source: https://themarkup.org/
Last Updated on October 13, 2024 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources