Witherspoon Institute is rated Extreme right with Low factual reporting by Media Bias Fact Check.
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 Witherspoon Institute Right Biased and Questionable based on promoting right-wing propaganda and rejecting the consensus of science on some issues.
Detailed Report
Reasoning: Propaganda, Conspiracy, Poor Sourcing
Bias Rating: EXTREME RIGHT (8.8)
Factual Reporting: LOW (7.6)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Organization/Foundation
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
The Witherspoon Institute is a conservative think tank in Princeton, New Jersey. The Witherspoon Institute opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and deals with embryonic stem cell research, constitutional law, and globalization.
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
The Witherspoon Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit funded through donations. The website lacks transparency as they do not disclose donors.
Analysis / Bias
In 2013, the Witherspoon Institute funded a study on LGBTQ families immediately called a “disgrace” by the scientific community. Being opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage does not make a source Questionable, however, promoting a discredited scientific study to support your position absolutely earns a Questionable source rating.
Editorially, all stories favor the right such as this Not a National Family: Critical Race Theory, Civic Education, and the Ties That Bind and this Common Sense Conservatism: An Interview with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. They also promote anti-scientific religious information that is not rooted in evidence, such as this Moral Repugnance, Abortion, and COVID Vaccines: A Dialogue. In general, this is a pro-Christian group that supports pro-Christian ideas. While this may not always align with the consensus of science, we, therefore, rate them as questionable.
Failed Fact Checks
- Third-party fact-checkers have not fact-checked them.
Overall, we rate the Witherspoon Institute Right Biased and Questionable based on promoting right-wing propaganda and rejecting the consensus of science on some issues. (D. Van Zandt 8/22/2017) Updated (08/21/2025)
Last Updated on August 20, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check
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