To anyone navigating the digital landscape of the twenty-first century, skepticism is the norm. Whether it’s merely misleading (perhaps biased or skewed) or straight-up fake, misinformation is prevalent, and the resulting distrust is tangible. According to a 2024 Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute of the University of Oxford, 72% of Americans report concern over being able to distinguish between real and fake content, notably on the social media platforms TikTok and X. Additionally, the study found that video networks are becoming increasingly popular as news sources, with users favoring the content of partisan creators.

However, if digital misinformation and mistrust are the modern reality, media literacy is the perfect counter-weapon. The concept of media literacy spans beyond the ability to identify falsified headlines or AI-generated images. It is a skill that can be learned and refined, a habitual method of inquiry rather than something switched on and off. And resources are available to help ensure that every news consumer keeps a trained eye on the current information climate. The static Media Bias Chart from Ad Fontes Media, a Denver-based public benefit corporation, is a biannual chart that places outlets generating “news and news-like information” between axes evaluating reliability and bias. Version 12.0 is out as of August 2024.

HOW TO READ THE CHART

The y-axis, labeled “News Value and Reliability,” places sources based on informational accuracy and fact-to-opinion ratio. The higher the source’s position, the more accurate and straightforward the fact-reporting and the less frequent the opinion. The x-axis, labeled “Bias,” places sources according to their perceived partisanship, ranging from extremely far-left to far-right. One should note, however, that placement in the middle does not automatically indicate informational accuracy or the absence of bias.

THE PROCESS

Glancing at the chart only tells part of the story, as the process is thorough and ongoing. The team of analysts at Ad Fontes, who undergo 30 hours of training plus an additional 40 hours annually, assemble in groups of three on Zoom to evaluate multiple pieces of content from a given source, which will contribute to its overall score. Each pod includes a “left,” “center,” and “right” analyst, who read and manually rate the content separately with a focus on their assigned bias. Each article is evaluated on headlines, expression, language, political position, and other elements. Analysts then discuss thoughts and scores in detail, possibly adjusting their rating on a particular metric if another analyst’s argument convinces them. The three scores are then averaged to give the article an overall rating.
The content rating period for each news source spans several weeks and news cycles. At least 15 articles are typically rated for each source, but the larger news organizations(including the New York Times and Fox News) can include 400-600 articles in their samples.

THE INTERACTIVE CHART

Ad Fontes Media also publishes an interactive Media Bias Chart, which allows users to search for specific sources, along with a filter for content forms (website, podcast, video, etc) and reliability and bias range. Clicking on a source allows one to view its individual bias and reliability scores.

Though essential, media literacy may appear to be a complicated skill. However, it is hardly an innate one and can be learned through a combination of facts, critical thinking, and practice. One should use caution when navigating the wealth of information at their fingertips, and tools such as the interactive Media Bias Chart may be useful for those unsure of where to start. Additionally, the newly updated static Media Bias Chart could serve as a reference point for voters researching and making decisions in the 2024 election.