LEAST BIASED
These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes). The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources.
- Overall, we rate TorrentFreak as Least Biased based on balanced political reporting and minimal editorializing. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEAST BIASED
Factual Reporting: HIGH
Country: Netherlands
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: EXCELLENT
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: High Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: HIGH CREDIBILITY
History
TorrentFreak is a blog dedicated to reporting on topics related to the BitTorrent protocol, file sharing, copyright infringement, and digital rights. It was started in November 2005 by a Dutchman using the pseudonym “Ernesto Van Der Sar,” who was later identified as Lennart Renkema. The website gained additional contributors over time, including Andy “Enigmax” Maxwell and Ben Jones, as well as Rickard Falkvinge, the founder of the Pirate Party. The content on TorrentFreak is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, allowing for wide dissemination and reuse of its materials.
Read our profile on the Netherlands’ media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
TorrentFreak is incorporated in the Netherlands, with an office in Groningen and a mailing address in Manchester, United Kingdom. The founder and owner, as identified in eCommerceTimes in 2009, is Lennart Renkema. In terms of funding, it does not accept or write paid articles, and all content is written independently. The site has three main advertisers/sponsors whose banners are visible on the site and occasionally include affiliate links in articles, which are disclosed on the relevant pages.
Analysis / Bias
TorrentFreak has been recognized for its original reporting on digital issues and is frequently cited by prominent news outlets such as The Guardian, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and De Standaard. The website covers a range of topics, including the activities of police intellectual property crime units, U.S. Trade Representative reports anti-piracy web blocking, torrent tracker news, VPN and seedbox reviews, file-sharing website news, copyright law news, and the warez scene.
Articles and headlines typically do not contain emotive language such as this Court: Cloudflare is Liable for Pirate Site, But Not as a DNS Provider. This story, like all others reviewed, uses proper sourcing with hyperlinks from credible outlets.
TorrentFreak’s editorial stance is committed to balanced reporting, not shying away from reports that either affirm or oppose the view that piracy hurts sales. Further, they do not directly write political op-eds but will report on politics when it pertains to their niche like this: Trump Doesn’t Deserve Copyright Win Over Eddie Grant But Still Might Get One. In this article, the author criticizes the Trump campaign’s use of the fair use defense, implying that it was an abuse of the legal system. The mention of Trump’s team reminding Grant that “some people remain more equal than others” further suggests a critique of Trump’s perceived misuse of power and legal resources. We also found some articles somewhat critical of Joe Biden and his stances on privacy, reflecting a balanced view.
In general, TorrentFreak is fact-based and does not hold traditional left-right biases.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate TorrentFreak as Least Biased based on balanced political reporting and minimal editorializing. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record. (D. Van Zandt 12/03/2023)
Source: https://torrentfreak.com/
Last Updated on December 3, 2023 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